Hour 1: From the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh with NFL Network’s Kurt Warner

0:00Rich Eisen:For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com. Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, an original and cherry vanilla. That Pepsi taste you love with no artificial sweeteners and three grams of prebiotic fiber.

0:41Rich Eisen:Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, unbelievably Pepsi. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. Welcome football fans. Live from the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, it's the Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. Pro Football Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner. NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, WWE Superstar Seth Rollins, Steelers Defensive Tackle Cam Hayward, and now it's Rich Isaac.

1:46Rich Eisen:Well, hey everybody, welcome to Draft Day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The NFL Draft 2026, getting ready to go down right there outside of AccraSure Stadium here in this beautiful steel city in western Pennsylvania. We are live on ESPN as well as our usual haunts on Disney Plus and the ESPN app and ESPN radio and Sirius XM channel 80. Humble host Rich Eisen here reporting for duty. It's my two-a-day. I'll be here for the next three hours, first two hours on ESPN, third hour on ESPN2, and then later on tonight at 7 Eastern time sitting on the draft set of NFL Network, giving you coverage of the National Football League draft on that channel for a 21st time in my career, going gavel to gavel starting tonight when the commissioner of the National Football League puts the Las Vegas Raiders on the clock.

2:45Rich Eisen:And we've got Kurt Warner, my buddy, who will be part of the NFL Network draft coverage for tonight. He will be here in studio in hour number one. And then Daniel Jeremiah, who you'll also see on ESPN, is part of their pre-draft coverage tonight. DJ will be with us here in hour number two, as well as NFL Network throughout the draft coverage tonight. Rod Woodson, Pro Football Hall of Famer. Cam Hayward, a future Hall of Famer for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They'll both be here in Seth Rollins. And then there's you at 844-204-RICH being the number to dial to have a chat with us. It's a higher register Thursday.

3:21Rich Eisen:We'll give our higher register thoughts on what's going to go down in the draft tonight. And so much to discuss. Good to see you, gents. How are you? Rich, I'm so excited. The draft day is like Christmas. I can't wait for it. Yeah, I know. It's pretty cool. We all know what's going to happen tonight. The commissioner is going to put the Raiders on the clock. And then we're going to hear Fernando Mendoza's name. I will tell you this. This is the 20th draft of Roger Goodell's commissionership. I saw that today. Would you care to guess who was on the clock first overall in his first draft? I know the answer.

3:55Rich Eisen:It was the Raiders. And they took Jamarcus Russell, the first name out of Roger Goodell's mouth, as commissioner of the National Football League, announcing a pick was Jamarcus Russell for the Raiders. Bad sign? No, no, no. It's called a coincidence. Okay. That's all it is. That's true. Don't read anything into it. Okay. I don't know. I'm just throwing it out there. They're both quarterbacks who were drafted first overall by the Raiders. And I think from there on out, we go separate paths. Yes. I believe. We'll find out. Obviously, careers must be played and played out. And then the drama starts with what the Jets are going to do at second overall.

4:35Rich Eisen:Is it going to be David Bailey, the edge rusher out of Texas Tech, or will it be the conversion linebacker, which is the phrase that's used for Arvel Reese? Which one will that be? And which guy that's left on the board for the Cardinals to take will be potentially the apple of someone else's eye to go trade up and go get him? And Daniel Jeremiah, who's joining us in our number two, gave everybody his mock draft on NFL Network last night. And he has the Saints trading up for Arvel Reese at three and the Cardinals moving back to go to eight where they're going to end up taking Francis Maui Noah, the tackle out of Miami.

5:19Rich Eisen:And then if something like that happens, let's just say Arvel Reese goes. We don't talk about a trade. This is when the Jeremiah Love, Sonny Stiles conversation hits for a bunch of teams. However long both of them last on the clock. The first one that might have that question is the Tennessee staff. And that'll be Robert Sala's got, as you know, a whole bunch of bald coaches. And somebody's going to lose more follicles in their hair when somebody puts a thumb on the scale and says we're either going for the defensive player in Sonny Stiles or we're going for the offensive player. Brian Dayball, you know, would love be pounding the table for Jeremiah Love with all due respect to Tony Pollard and the rest of the running back room there.

5:59Rich Eisen:The Browns there at sixth overall, the question is, do they trade out or do they take the tackle that they like a lot? I think it's going to be Spencer Fano out of Utah. We will see. Then comes a conversation at 7 for the commanders. At some point, there's going to be a conversation in a room about taking a wide receiver. Is it going to be Jordan Tyson out of Arizona State, or is it going to be Carnell Tate out of the Ohio State? What do the Saints do if they stick and pick? What do the Chiefs do if they stick and pick? The Giants can remake their offense if they go offensive players 5 and 10, as a matter of fact.

6:37Rich Eisen:Daniel Jeremiah, again, he's going to be joining us in hour number two. He says that the Giants basically, like the end of the godfather, settle all offensive family business and go Jeremiah Lovett 5 and Carnell Tate at 10. If that's what happens, then the Giants with Jackson Dart and Cam Scadaboo and Theo Johnson and the rest of the skilled position players with Malik Neighbors, they would be going to work in the NFC East in a significant way with two big time offensive pieces if that happens. The first 90 minutes of the draft tonight is going to basically be my cardio for the day. And that doesn't really speak very well of my workouts or of how fast I'm going to run when it's revealed on my St.

7:22Rich Eisen:Jude 40-yard dash run on Saturday's NFL Network draft coverage for the culmination of Run Rich Run. By the way, certainly we're sitting here on ESPN, stjude.org slash runrichrun to donate any amount of money. We had our friend Brett Michaels drop a$10 ,000 check off here. Big check. But it's also made of plastic. At any rate, it's a large big check. I mean, it's right there. It's still right there. And we are in a bank. But anyway, I digress. The first 90 minutes of tonight's draft is going to be like a cardio moment where we're going to be nonstop moving because each pick in the first round is eight minutes long.

8:02Rich Eisen:When we first started the NFL Network draft coverage back in 2004 was the first one that we covered for NFL Network. It was 15 minutes. Yeah. And it was a two-day event. Now it's a two-night, three-day event. And now it went from 15 minutes down to 10. Now it's down to 8. The commissioner wants us basically back in our hotels by 11 o 'clock tonight. I don't know if there's a curfew officially or what have you, but it's going to go fast. And if a team doesn't go and take all eight of their minutes, we might see picks being sent in in five minutes' time. So we're going to be needing to keep things moving and keep things talking tonight on our draft coverage.

8:44Rich Eisen:So I'm looking forward to all that. That's kind of setting the stage for you. The other things to look out for tonight are the teams that have multiple picks. The Cowboys sitting there at 12 and 20, do they do anything? What do the Cowboys do at 12 might set things up for the Los Angeles Rams at 13 using the spot that the Atlanta Falcons gave them in last year's draft? They're sitting there at 13. They already cashed in number 29, their own pick. They already cashed that pick in earlier to the Kansas City Chiefs to get Trent McDuffie. If the Rams, this is where they could shock the world and go ahead and take Ty Simpson 13th overall.

9:27Rich Eisen:I don't think they're going to do that. I'll repeat here for the ESPN audience what I've been saying on Disney Plus for quite some time. I think the Los Angeles Rams are going to, they've already indicated that by trading for Trent McDuffie, they are going to take a player that can help them win right now with Matthew Stafford coming back off his MVP season. And I think they are going to keep their options open once Matthew Stafford does decide to retire. Could it be the end of this year? Could it be the end of the next two years? That there's going to be some quarterback somewhere in the National Football League with Pro Bowls on their resume, on his resume, sitting there thinking, I might want to pull some sort of an NBA-type moment and say, or Carson Palmer-type moment, and I'm out of here.

10:10Rich Eisen:and I want to go be the next quarterback of Sean McVay's Los Angeles Rams with less need shopping for all the groceries in Los Angeles, California. I think they don't go Ty Simpson here. Ty Simpson might go towards the end of the first round. As a matter of fact, Daniel Jeremiah in his mock draft says Arizona does in fact move into the end of the first round, moving up to 26th overall to take Ty Simpson and he would be the quarterback of the future in Arizona. starting right now. So that's something to look forward to. What happens when the Steelers go on the clock tonight? 21st overall and seeing all the fans that are out there outside of AccraSure and what their response is going to be.

10:53Rich Eisen:I'm looking forward to the entire night. It's a beautiful night. It's a beautiful weather night. This city is so beautiful lit up at night. It's going to be looking amazing. Western PA shining like a big star in the draft night on NFL Network's coverage, ESPN's coverage as well, going down tonight. We're one big happy family now, don't you know? Yeah, we are. And I'll be honest with you, just to be straight up, to be sitting here, and this is the show that is on ESPN right now to kick off, essentially, ESPN's draft coverage of the day. With all due respect to everything that's been on before, the fact that we're here from Pittsburgh, PA, at noon straight up, right here on ESPN for the next two hours is something I'm honored by.

11:38Rich Eisen:Certainly having done SportsCenter in Bristol just a few days ago. Yeah, dude. I mean, just pinch me. I can't believe this is actually happening. Dude, congrats. Soak it in. Have a great day. It's going to be fantastic. And I appreciate that. And all of us are going to have a great day. Kurt Warner is about to join us here. But I do want to touch upon this headline and this story. I'll be very honest with you, folks. I have avoided talking about this subject matter because it involves two consenting adults. It involves two consenting married adults and what they were doing in their spare time with each other, allegedly.

12:10Rich Eisen:Whatever might have been going on, I didn't want to even talk about it because I have no idea what's true and what is not. And whatever was going on between Diana Rossini and the head coach of the New England Patriots in Mike Vrabel, just didn't want to discuss it. Again, personal lives, and I understand that there's professionalism at stake and professionalism on the line for both individuals involved in this story. And we're all left to assume what is going on. And I just didn't want to talk about it, didn't discuss it, but now the fact that Mike Vrabel's not going to be in the draft room, the Super Bowl head coach of the AFC champion New England Patriots, the reigning coach of the year is not going to be in the draft room on Saturday because he is taking a moment in time to seek counseling, apparently with his family over the weekend outside of the state of Massachusetts after being in the draft room on tonight, apparently, and then on Friday and that the weekend he is taking the weekend off.

13:19Rich Eisen:It is unique. I've never heard of anything like this. I don't quite understand what is going on. Other than the fact, I just want to say this, whatever both he and Diana need to do in their current worlds or existences, whatever they need to do to live their lives in peace and in harmony, I tip my cap to both people that I've known for quite some time. Vrabel, obviously, longer than Diana, who's been a frequent guest on this show in her time with The Athletic and prior to that with ESPN. Just wanted to say that, but I don't quite understand what is going on with Vrabel. There's eight choices that need to be made, but clearly he needs to focus on his family life and his personal life, and I just send my best to him and his family on that front, and whatever needs to be repaired, he's clearly taking time away in a way that I've never heard of before to do so.

14:20Rich Eisen:Just wanted to say that, but I was kind of shocked to see that headline, that he is stepping away to take time out of the draft room. And there's going to be eight guys who get drafted who he's going to essentially find out on his phone. He's going to follow along. I don't understand what's going on, but clearly some repair needs to be made in his personal life, and he's taking his time to do all that. Just wanted to address that to start our program here today from the draft city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Kurt Warner's about to join us. I see him right here. Let's bring him out here next. We'll talk about Fernando Mendoza and then send him on his way because that's the only thing he gets to talk about in our draft coverage.

15:02Rich Eisen:I'm just kidding. Kurt Warner's next right here on my Hall of Fame buddy on Rich Eisen. Rich Eisen here. Every time I travel for a major sports moment, whether it's a playoff run or a huge primetime matchup, I see firsthand what happens to a city. Hotels fill up fast. Energy builds. Everyone wants to be part of it. Now imagine that on a global scale. The FIFA World Cup is coming this summer, people, and with it, thousands of fans traveling to host cities across the country. If you happen to live in one of those cities and you're planning to be away, maybe you've got your own summer trip lined up, this could be a practical opportunity.

15:38Rich Eisen:While you're gone, you could list your space on Airbnb and welcome traveling fans who want to experience the FIFA World Cup in person. You're not changing your routine. You're not committing to anything year-round. You're simply making the most of a moment when your city is in the global spotlight. I know when I'm on the road for a huge event, having a comfortable home base makes all the difference. And that's what fans will be searching for. If you've ever thought about listing your space, this summer is a great time as we welcome FIFA World Cup fans. Your home might be worth more than you think.

16:09Rich Eisen:Find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host.

16:39I need auto parts.

16:48Rich Eisen:For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Srivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com.

17:24Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Just looking to start and then all the way up to the number one pick. I'm excited for him. I think there's so much stuff to like on tape with what he did this year. You know, a lot of times when you have bigger, taller quarterbacks, they can struggle to be accurate. He's a big, longer guy, but tremendously accurate. Great technique. Ball's going to go where he wants it to go. I think, you know, a lot of stuff in their offense was more just, hey, we've got it set up, pick a guy and throw it. But his ability to control the football at every level, especially down the field, I think is another huge asset for him.

18:03And then maybe the thing that jumps off the page the most, knowing that he's going to the Raiders and Tom Brady is going to be there, is he seems to have that big moment gene. You know, when the game is on the line, when you need a play to be made, he made it over and over and over again. And that's what Tom Brady was known for, in the biggest moments, making those plays in the moment. So there is so much to like. I say it every year, though, with all these quarterbacks, they all have to get better if they're going to be great at the next level. Fernando's no different. But I'm excited about the pieces.

18:34I'm excited about him being around Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins in that situation. And I hope he just kills it.

18:41Rich Eisen:Yeah, that 50-50 ball he threw to wrap it up against Ohio State. The obviously run against Miami where he put his body on the line and just got it in the end zone. Throw against Penn State to finish it off. He does have that big play. That whole entire drive down the field as well. Going into Oregon, throwing an interception, but then coming back and winning that game. He does have that gene in him. So when you did first meet him, come in your house as a kid going to Cal, right? Yeah. What did you think? Like, you're like, he's got a good head on his shoulders. Yeah, I mean. What was he improved?

19:16Rich Eisen:But more importantly, what did Brenda think? I'm not sure if Brenda comes out. She's like, you go do your football stuff and then come in after. Here's the thing is when guys come to the house and train, especially when they're younger guys. My biggest thing to take away is how attentive are they to the process, right? Because you have some guys that we just get the opportunity. They come out. They just want to do their own thing. And then there's other guys that come out and go, teach me. I want everything I can possibly get in these two or three days. I want to be a sponge. I want to learn. I want to take what I can.

19:49And then I want to build a relationship and stay connected. And that's what I noticed about Fernando. Obviously, he was talented. He could throw the football really well. You never know what their future is going to be. But to me, it was more about being in the room when we were talking about plays. And I was going through the process and what I looked at and why I looked at certain things and how I broke things down. And, you know, he was always staying after those sessions. And he was always asking questions. You know, he's reached out to me at different times through this process of just how to handle it, how to go into, you know, situation, you know, with the Raiders and lead guys as a rookie number one pick.

20:25What does that look like? So that's what I loved so much about him. Obviously, he's got the talent. We've all seen that. But, you know, everything you see in terms of wanting to be a student of the game and wanting to be great at his craft were the same things that I saw three years ago when we were working together. And that's what excites you is when you have a guy that wants to be that, wants to do those things, you know, when he's going to have access to Tom Brady, who's a guy that probably did that as well as anybody, continue to find ways to get better and better and better and get as close to his ceiling as he could.

20:55That excites me that you've got a young kid that is going to have that access that wants to be great. You know, and I think it really bodes well for the Raiders and Fernando.

21:04Rich Eisen:Well, you know, the cousins of it all, I want to hit that as well with you. I don't know if we're going to have too much time to talk about it tonight on NFL Network and one picks coming after another eight minutes every time is what you think Cousins has been told. We had John Spitek on Monday, the GM of the Raiders, and he basically said, may the best man win. Right. Okay. And, you know, obviously there's one man who's got the thumb on the scale of being the first overall pick in the draft. But you also have a guy who's got such a breadth of knowledge and experience to allow the first overall pick in the draft to marinate in preparation, right, for as long as it's possible.

21:44Rich Eisen:But what do you think Cousins has been told? Because he's signed knowing this is going to happen. I'm guessing he's been told that it is going to be a competition and that when Fernando, when they deem Fernando ready to play, he's going to play, but they don't want to have to play him right away if he's not that guy. That's what I hope he's been told. I'm a believer that you start young guys, you should start young guys when they're ready. Don't force them into action before they're ready because we've seen too many guys that get swallowed up by this league because they're trying to survive, and they haven't had a chance to grow and learn and be in a position to truly thrive at this level.

22:28And that's what I hope this situation is. If Fernando's ready week one, and he's shown that through training camp and every day, I believe you start Fernando Mendoza. But if there's anything there that says, hey, we want him to grow in this area, we want him to do this, we want to take a little pressure off of him, I think is a perfect opportunity to have a guy that's been there, that's done it, that is a pro, to show him the way. And so that's really what I hope has been told. That Kirk goes in not expecting to be the starter, but at the same time believing he's going to be the starter at the beginning of the season.

23:02Can hold off Fernando as long as he can or, you know, until Fernando takes that position. But I love that aspect of things. Too many guys, to me, are drafted to be the savior, thrown in right now. And I don't think everybody has the makeup or is in a position to do that. And I think now the Raiders are in a great position to not have to do that if Fernando is not ready.

23:25Rich Eisen:Last question on this subject matter is the Clint Kubiak system. How easy might that be or difficult would it be for a rookie to pick it up knowing Fernando as long as you have without telling me you've known him for as long as you have? Yeah, this is such a hard thing for me. Sorry to make that about me a little bit. Because I believe every NFL quarterback should be able to do everything. Like take a snap under center and run play action and turn your back to the defense. Right. Playing the shot. Like you should be able to do all of that stuff. And so if you're able to do that stuff just from a physical standpoint, I don't think it's a huge transition to what Kubiak does.

24:09His offense, they love to run play action in the naked bootleg game, which to me is pretty simple. It simplifies things down where you don't have to see the whole field. So that's not real hard as long as you can do the mechanics of it. They run very much a pure progression type system. So that's something that I know Fernando has done before. It's all over college football. So I think it's really just a mechanical thing. And I don't think it's going to be a problem. I don't think it's something that Fernando can't do. You know, I don't look at this and go, oh, it's going to take him some time to get used to playing the way they want him to play.

24:47I don't think that's the problem. I think it's going to be a matter of can he play at the level we want him to play at? Can he succeed early or quickly where we feel we can put him out there and start building this thing? Or does he need a little bit more time to grow into the player that we think he can be?