Hour 1: NFL Owners Meetings Reactions, plus ESPN’s Matt Miller Talks 7-Round Mock Draft

0:01Rich Eisen:Every soda's got something to say. Colas brag. Probiotics give TED Talks. Then there's Mr. Pibb. No pitch, no promises. Just bold cherry bringing the flavor. Bold kick of cherry. Hey yo, Mr. Pibb. So good, so good, so good. New spring arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60 % off Rag & Bone, Mark Jacobs, Free People, and more. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? Because there's always something new. Join the Nordic Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices.

0:41Rich Eisen:That's why you rack. 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 +, 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. This is the Rich Eisen Show. And I'm living my best life right now. Rich Eisen. Michigan makes the final four by curb stomping Tennessee. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

1:25Rich Eisen:Duke gets Leitner'd in front of the whole country. Today's guests, ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller, NFL network reporter Mike Garofalo, NBC Sports Bay Area 49ers reporter Matt Maioco, and now it's Rich Eisen. It's the Tuesday of the final week of March. It is the last day of March here on Disney +, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio, Sirius XM, Channel 80. We've got a lot of football on the brain and why not? We're waiting for more March Madness to be played. The women's final four is set South Carolina and also Texas join UConn and UCLA with emphatic elite eight wins on Monday night. The men's final four is set.

2:14Rich Eisen:We've got ourselves a big day in the NFL neighborhood with the NFL annual league meetings hitting their biggest day of all their work. rules proposals rules changes to be voted on lots of meetings there is a coach's photo that we love to break down every single year we've been doing that for almost a decade we have a lot of fun with that that's coming up on this program matt miller of espn has come up with a mock draft of all seven rounds yeah buddy um it's not a game for me well it's definitely not a game um but uh we are wondering what he does for uh for spare time uh and he's going to join us he's got a family in about 18 minutes time for that conversation uh also on this show matt mayoko uh is going to be joining us from uh the league meeting to talk about jed york um saying that he still would like brandon iuk back and john lynch saying that george kittle could be back for week one and the head coach talking about how iuk eventually is going to work itself out uh so um we always love talking about the niners that's an hour number three mike garifolo my colleague at nfl network who along with the rest of nfl network will become uh disney employees by the end of tonight um that's uh he will be joining us in hour number two because we'll also make fun of his of his uh photography we took that uh the first look at the uh coach's photo and we thought we'd be able to use it and break it down and have fun right on the spot and there was um you know pole right in the middle yeah very far away and breaking up the harballs who were sitting together so anyway mike's going to join us in hour number two hello chris good to see you jason feller and your spot good to see you tj jefferson candle is lit over there good to see you candle is lit okay so um candles lit and as i mentioned when the league meets at the owners meeting um the uh coaches get broken up by conferences.

4:11Rich Eisen:One day they're all having breakfast at a table and the media sits around them. And then the other conference has the next day, the media sits around them and asks them questions. And it's the first time we've seen them or got a chance to speak with them or hear from them since the combine. They used to literally have breakfast back in the day. They used to have breakfast and the coaches would be sitting there and their eggs would be getting cold and we're asking them questions. And it was really weird and awkward. and I don't think there's breakfast anymore, but the table still exists. I don't get it.

4:43Rich Eisen:But, you know, there are just ways for the NFL to just keep things the same, but then switch things up. Now it's probably egg whites. I don't know. Andy really ate no egg whites, bro. I bet not. I thought Vrabel was drinking the orange juice like Bill did back in the day. Yeah, I guess back in the day. Yeah, I think Andy is probably a breakfast meat guy. Yes, no doubt. That's a meat lover right there. But Andy was at this owner's meeting. He was not at the combine because he was having surgery on his knee. He stayed put. Probably watched the broadcast that Daniel, Jeremiah, and yours truly were anchoring.

5:16Rich Eisen:Who didn't? I appreciate that. But Bob Costas wasn't. He hates the combo with the fury of a thousand suns. And long story short is this is now Andy Reid's first time meeting with the media since probably week 18 and right after the exit interview that he was doing via Zoom from his office. And this took place just a week or so after Patrick Mahomes decided to post a snippet of him working out and fading back and looking like he was bouncing around on that surgically repaired leg with the ACL and MCL having been torn in week 15. Andy Reid, is your quarterback going to be ready for the season? Hit it.

6:05Rich Eisen:He's doing good. It's hard to measure are you ahead of schedule or not. I mean, who makes the schedule, right? So, and every player is different. I will tell you, though, I would never bet against him. He's always going to put in the time and effort and always push it. But within reason. So, he doesn't take steps back. so far it's all been positive he's starting week one

6:37Rich Eisen:he's starting week one justin fields is looking like brock osweiler in the background come on

6:46i finally get to kansas city and i got this guy yeah that guy i think he knew that going in though

6:52Rich Eisen:why else would again we said at the time why else would mahomes uh put that video out right Exactly. Other than to say I'm working hard and I'll be back week one. Remember me? Don't forget. I don't think he's got that sort of, you know, don't forget about me, Gene, because how could we forget about him? The greatest quarterback ever before turning 30. All of those metrics that Brady set, he has matched and surpassed. That's a fact. And then that is the question about the next iteration though of the Kansas City Chiefs dynastic run last year it came to a crashing close the it being making the playoffs making the AFC championship game at the very least lasting as long as overtime in the AFC championship game without making the Super Bowl that's that's that's the earliest Mahomes that had been eliminated until last year Isn't that incredible?

7:59Rich Eisen:So why else would he do such a thing? Post it and at the end of the day, come back and lead the Chiefs to who knows where. That's the question. And one of the things we'll be asking Matt Miller when the Kansas City Chiefs were on the clock twice, what do they do? Do they hit that defense? Do they give a new piece to Mahomes? Kelsey's coming back. that three-year deal is basically like a once a one-year deal to go as long as Kelsey wants to keep playing we'll see what they do they added Kenneth Walker for the run game which is fascinating Mahomes has not had a thousand yard rusher since Kareem Hunt's first year in the league that's how long it's been since the Chiefs have had a thousand yard rusher in support of Mahomes.

8:46Rich Eisen:That's one way to welcome him back. Don't throw it as much. Don't have to rely on him as much. Certainly not running himself, but an encouraging result from Andy Reid today. Meanwhile, we had not heard from Clint Kubiak since Max Crosby left and came back, went to Baltimore for a hot minute, and then returned. We'd heard from John Spitek, who appeared on a Raiders team podcast about Max Crosby. This is what the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders had to say about Crosby's deal and then no deal. Yeah, I think anytime there's a trade, you always know that it could go down that way. So, I mean, once it happened, I was really excited.

9:38You know, when Spaya came and talked to me about it, and we sat down and my first thing was a smile there we got max back you kidding me that's great i sent him a text because i'm sure he was getting enough people calling him and then he was back in our building the next day you know doing his rehab kind of like nothing uh like nothing ever

9:54Rich Eisen:happened so um i see i see max you know all the time at the facility he's he's he's one of the first guys there every day you know i've said that john said that um so it's it's been really good in this time before the players all get there to get to know him a little bit better What's more likely Tuesday? More likely that Max Crosby is just there and this is all one big cover to get his trade value back up in time for the draft or in time for a trade eventually. Or we'll be looking back on that trade is like the best thing to happen to Clint Kubiak and the Raiders because he is such a crucial part of their comeback.

10:41Rich Eisen:And this team has taken a turn with Clint Kubiak, has figured it out, and Max Crosby will be a massive part of it. What is more likely? TJ Jefferson, I go to you first. What is more likely? Yes, sir. He'll be there. And that he will lead the, he will, this will be the greatest thing that happened. I kind of feel like we all kind of poo-pooed the Raiders, but low key i think something could be going on there that might be a little special so chris yeah it's the first one i mean you think he's gone yeah for sure how can all the toothpaste and easily get put back in the bottle easily yeah because he didn't burn a bridge yeah he went on his his pod and said a fond farewell i'll always be a raider type of thing said all the right things he may have not burned the bridge but but the raiders didn't burn in the bridge either they they traded him i know it was a done deal on their end like we're broken up right over bro correct because don't get to move back into our house at his behest get all your stuff you know you can still stay here while you find a new place to live yeah you know how many times that people take people back after they've booted them and broken up with them happens what millions of times not for two first round picks what's the raider fans say here coach yeah he's staying stay i hope you wanted him to stay yeah you as a raider fan like couldn't believe that this was actually happening how could you not or you did believe it because it was a very raider like result of the football gods continuing to kick you in the nards as well exactly i think it worked out in a mysterious way and it's gonna be great for us i hope that's kind of how i feel the higher register yeah you something you didn't go back again i kind of think again i i haven't reached out maybe i should do that you think he's staying right well or no i think that the trauma and i understand there's real life trauma in the world i'm talking about sports world i'm talking about sports world first class problem athlete trauma the so let me come up with a better for it the emotional swing of the trade not occurring and him being back in vegas i think potentially supersedes the emotions that he had about asking to go that's what i think i could see that happening i could him see him saying i tried it clearly wasn't meant to be clearly i'm in the right place clearly in the same way that the ravens saw who left their team and the holes that was required of them to fill in the first 24 hours of free agency the window being open during which they had some independent doctors take a look at MRIs and things of that nature that they had already had access to and decided let's trade for him anyway that at the same time Max saw who's coming and he saw some smart moves potentially in Linderbaum in N 'Kobe Dean who chose the Raiders over the Cowboys and others, and he sits there and goes, okay, I see you.

14:14Rich Eisen:And the Raiders had enough cap space to absorb this reversal. That's entirely possible and feasible. And maybe whatever caused him to say, I want out of here, he's now figuring out, I am seeing what's happening. and the football gods have also saw fit to put me back here, so I'll stay. And there won't be anything from him to say, yeah, the request to get out hasn't changed at all. What's just changed is the way that it's going to happen. I don't know. What's more likely? I think the other way is more likely. Certainly if he's there every day seeing the guys, liking the guys, enjoying the guys then june hits then he gets feeling better mendoza shows up digs the kid sees the kid getting ready they also get a veteran that might be able to back him up or keep him sat you know sort of like drake may don't hit the kid don't hit the kid right put him in the red jersey right right i mean that was that article that our our friend mike silver wrote for the Athletic saying that Gruden kept telling him not to hit the quarterback and the red jersey so much that he threatened to, what, bench him and cut him or what have you.

15:40Rich Eisen:And it ended up, that article prior to the trade, that Crosby had such hard feelings about what had gone down there in Vegas and, you know, to the point where they might have to get him out of there to keep Fernando Mendoza safe. like he thoroughly intimated that at the end of his article that might be removed now that was the last sentence if i'm not correct it was it was quite an emphatic thud to the end of his his um his article and column so an opinion on it so maybe the mood swing from baltimore has changed that and that's what the coach is echoing but in this day and age of cynicism for good reason and i'm pointing to chief cynic of the rich eisen show that there are many things that are said publicly uh just to that are completely yes throw throw sand in your face and not pay attention to what's going on hey it's raining no it's not no right all right let's take a break matt miller is going to join us next i could just tell you this of his seven draft seven round mock draft fernando mendoza is number one okay can confirm but after that there's lots of interest to say the least and Matt Miller is going to join us next right here on the Rich Eisen Show.

16:58Rich Eisen:Don't you dare go anywhere. The Rich Eisen Show podcast.

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18:26Rich Eisen:Choose Rain-X Latitude wiper blades at your local O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or online at OReillyAuto.com. Here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody, ESPN NFL draft analyst. Everybody check it out on ESPN.com and all of Matt's channels and pages. the 2026 seven round NFL mock draft again uh it's not real it's a mock draft just in case you're like wait a minute just saw this on ESPN.com the draft go down so interesting let's start up at the very top Matt because we know it's Fernando Mendoza one and the pro day for Arvel Reese there was a lot of negative coverage on that actually that I saw that people were poo-pooing a little bit the kid and his his real pro day at the Ohio State you still think the Jets choose him second overall Matt yeah I do and I think the draft process is probably a little bit too long because we really start to over evaluate things you know when we're talking about shin angle yeah that stuff there's a reason to measure it and to pay attention to it.

19:37But, you know, I keep this sticky note on my desk that says draft good football players. And I do think it ultimately has to go back to what did we see from August through Christmas? Who stood out? And then what we're supposed to do from then until now is to see, is there anything, any type of outliers from a measurement standpoint or a medical standpoint, a statistical standpoint? You start to maybe weigh those things against the tape. For Arvel Reesick, we know what he is. He is an upside. He's an ascending player. He only had 97 pass rush reps last year. So, no, he's not going to have the same toolkit that someone that's played defensive end for four or five years is going to have.

20:16That's just the nature of what we're getting with that prospect. So, unfortunately, I think there's a little bit of over evaluation that happens with guys like him at the top of the class. I think you get some people that are either bored or some people that know that they will make a name for themselves by some degree, by being a critic of a player that's widely known to be a top prospect. But I still think the Jets have that decision between Arvel Reese and David Bailey from Texas Tech. Which pass rusher do they want? Do you want the proven commodity of Bailey or the upside of Reese? I don't know that there's a wrong answer there, but I think that's where they're at right now.

20:50Rich Eisen:And then that happens. The Cardinals do go with Francis Moenoa from Miami. You think that that is going to be Arizona's choice at the end of the day? Yeah, I think given what Arizona has, where they're at right now, there's not a quarterback that they should take here. And I know a lot of people who are maybe just now coming into the draft process say, well, hey, they need a quarterback. Yes, they absolutely do. But there's not one that is valued in the top 10, 15 for me, not even in the top 32 picks this year, other than Mendoza. So Arizona would be wise to build that infrastructure for the quarterback that they can bring in next year in a very talent-rich quarterback crop that's expected.

21:27So I think setting the table, you have Paris Johnson Jr., you have Francis Munoah. Now you have those bookends that can protect for whomever that guy is next year. And you have some offensive weapons there. Trey McBride is a blue-chip tight end. Michael Wilson's a very good receiver. We hope that Marvin Harrison Jr. explodes and becomes the player that he was expected to be coming out of Ohio State now that they have a new scheme and eventually a new quarterback there.

21:50Rich Eisen:Matt Miller here on the Rich Eisen Show. You have Jeremiah Love going to Tennessee fourth overall. Now, Matt, long before Adam Schefter showed up on Pat McAfee's show four times a week and is everywhere else on ESPN after that, he was born into television on NFL Network. And he and I talked a lot. And I knew him back in college. So I'm conversant in Schefter as well as his body language and him saying that there is no Tennessee Titan interest in Jeremiah Love fourth overall doesn't see it. And the way that he kind of looks and his face speaks volumes. You still think Jeremiah Love is going to go fourth overall to the Tennessee Titans at the end of the day over Schefter's knowledge and facial expressions.

22:49Rich Eisen:Matt. I love Shefty. And I begged him, the five years I've been at ESPN, I begged him to do a mock draft, right? Let's put that info out. Let's see what happens. But I do also think that this is the time of year where things change. I can remember the year when it was, hey, San Francisco is going to take Mac Jones at three. And everyone was adamant about that until about this time, three and a half weeks before the draft. That's when things started to change. So I trust Shefty. I mean, I trust him with all the information. I would probably trust his weather forecast over my local weather guy. I don't know about that.

23:23I do. That might be a little.

23:24Rich Eisen:Now, you know, Adam, Adam has Adam has reception, but maybe not Doppler. You know what I mean? Like that's not the radar he has. But but what do you think? There's yeah, there's time for decisions to change. And especially with free agency. Tennessee was active in free agency. They trade for Jermaine Johnson. They trade to Andre Sweat, a very good nose tackle. Yes. For Jermaine Johnson. and they get John Franklin Meyer. So they've checked off those needs that you would think at the top of this draft, they would be in a position to get an edge rusher. Well, they went and got two of those guys. And so you look at where they're at, at four.

23:59If it's not Jeremiah Love, is it a little bit early on one of the wide receivers like Carnell Tate from Ohio State or Makai Lemon from USC? Do they see something in their offensive line that we don't to where maybe they would say, okay, let's go with a Spencer Fano from Utah or a Monroe Freeling or Caden Proctor. Or maybe they think they need to go that route. But they have J.C. Latham, and they have some other guys up front that they've invested in. So it really also gets to that point of, like, logically, you're either, quote, unquote, reaching for Jeremiah Love because he's a running back, or you're looking at other non-premium positions like Sonny Stiles, who's a linebacker from Ohio State, or Caleb Downs, a safety from Ohio State.

24:34So I go back to Love as the best player in this class, in my opinion. And they have a need there. They absolutely have a need with Tony Pollard and TyJ Sparks. Why not help out your guy in Cam Ward and give him this dynamic, rare running back prospect that can help put that offense over the top?

24:50Rich Eisen:It makes sense. I mean, everybody talks about how he's Bijan like. Right. And so why wouldn't you want to have that dynamic person right next to Cam Ward in his second year? In the same way that we've seen some mocks that love somehow drops to Washington seventh overall. And you can place him next to Jaden Daniels in his second full year health, obviously being good to him as the quarterback of the Washington Commanders. So let's say Love goes to Tennessee, as you have in your mock. That leaves every other Ohio State player available for the Giants. And you think they go downs. Why do you think that would be their choice fifth overall?

25:35Yeah. And I think I said on your show at the combine race that I could see New York being in on Jeremiah Love. if he happened to fall past Tennessee. So that would be something worth watching. But I look at Caleb Downs, and we have John Harbaugh, the head coach of the New York Giants now. Historically, he's had some great safeties. Ed Reed, Kyle Hamilton. I think he values having that quarterback on the back end. Also a culture setter. Caleb Downs won at Alabama and Ohio State. He's played under Nick Saban. He's played under Matt Patricia. Maybe he doesn't have those elite physical Derwin James-type measurables, but he does have elite football character, IQ instincts.

26:08he's versatile he can play anywhere across the defense and i've talked to offensive coaches of college who said we taught our quarterbacks find number two before the snap just identify number two and we're probably going to go away from him and so i think for harbaugh where they would be at in this draft with this the board falling this way they no longer really need a middle linebacker because they went and got shermaine edmonds but they do need a safety and downs could be that i think quarterback on the back end for them okay and then tate would

26:34Rich Eisen:be available for the browns you think that would be todd munkin's first draft choice as I do I think you don't have a quarterback so you better get somebody that can catch the ball when it comes at them so again don't reach for a quarterback in this draft if you don't love Ty Simpson from Alabama don't draft in this early Carnell Tate had one drop last year he has great hands great route running ability and he kind of fits the mold of where the NFL is going with these wide receivers like Puka Nakua and Jackson Smith and Jigba guys who aren't elite in terms of speed but their route running is professional like they're just ready to come in and run a full route tree and they're able to separate because of that that's what tate is he's never gonna was a four five three at the combine kind of in that range for the 40 yard dash it doesn't matter because he's able to get open with timing and great footwork and he uses his six one 200 pound frame really well to high point the ball and also to box guys out so then you got But the final four of your first top 10 here, Mansour Delaney going to Washington and then Bailey, Bain and Styles going to the Saints, Chiefs and Bengals.

27:39Rich Eisen:I mean, you could have done a mock draft where Bailey, Bain and Styles were in your top five and that wouldn't have made people bat an eye. And that would be some great value for those teams if this is the way it falls. Right, Matt? Oh, without a doubt. And like you said, it could be Bailey at two, Bain at three, Styles at four. Those guys could go very, very early. And that's the fun thing about a mock draft is who's going to slip through because it happens every year. We will be sitting there in Pittsburgh Thursday night being like, how is this guy still on the board? It happens every year. And for me, this year would be Sonny Stiles at 10.

28:07And I think there are a lot of teams starting at five that could take Sonny Stiles. He is an elite athlete, a converted safety who's playing linebacker, who also has shown he can rush the quarterback if needed. So there's a lot of upside there, but also the proven production. He was the guy we were talking about in August, September. We weren't talking about Arbel Reese yet. We were talking about Sonny Stiles and Caleb Downs. So he would be an absolute steal at 10 for the Bengals, a team that, you know, they've got to get faster and more explosive on defense. They've missed on a lot of former first round picks on defense.

28:39So hopefully this would be kind of the turning of the page for them and getting an explosive physical playmaker in the middle of the field.

28:45Rich Eisen:Yeah, man. I mean, that Ravens, I mean, pardon me, that Bengals sort of Venn diagram of one circle of Bengals fans, another circle being Ohio State fans, that would be a very exciting pick for those that would be in the middle right there. Moving to your second 10 of the first round, we're entering sort of the Sharpie portion of the draft. I think whoever is the best receiver available for the Dolphins, that's going to be 11. Makai Lemon is a very popular choice there for sure. You're also seeing Dylan Thienemann being a Sharpie pick from the Vikings since he's got Harrison Smith written all over him.