Hour 2: From the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh with ‘Higher Register,’ Daniel Jeremiah & Rod Woodson

20:25Yeah, and I've been accused of wish casting on this one. Meaning what?

20:30Rich Eisen:He's my 11th overall player. He won't be there anymore? Yeah. This is another positional, like, well, I'm not taking a guard. Yeah. I mean, if they can take this kid. He's unbelievable. And put him next to Slater and have Alt on the other side. They signed Biotis at center in the offseason. Dude. Who hits this offense. That's where the Chargers become supercharged. Everyone stays healthy and look out. with McDaniel dialing up the running plays for that offensive line with Herbert. Oh, man. That would be an amazing choice for the Chargers. Yeah, it would be a no-brainer. So it would probably never happen.

21:06Rich Eisen:Mesidor to Tampa. Our guy, we'll call Casey Concepcion. Yeah, absolutely. He winds up in Cleveland. Yeah, they need a receiver out of one of these first two picks. Keldrick Falk to the Bears, and then we finally make our way to Ty Simpson. You've got the Cardinals moving up. You think that's the way it plays out tonight? I think there's a chance they can just stick at 34 and he falls right to them. But my thing is if you even think there's a 2 % chance the Jets might take him at 33, you pay the small price and you go up and you get him. Don't you think there's a less percentage of 2 % for the Jets to do?

21:39I don't think the Jets are taking him. I do think, and if we get by the Rams thing, that the Cardinals could hold their water and wait at 34 and take him. But I'm just saying, normally if you like him enough there, then you don't take any chances. Just go do it.

21:53Rich Eisen:But the draft capital to move up, I think, would be worth it. Certainly if they earn it with a trade in the top end. That's why I put that together. That they now have extra assets to employ because it's worth the fifth-year option. And it's worth also making sure you get the guy you like. But I just don't think the Jets are going to sit around and take a quarterback in this draft with next year looking the way it is and all the picks that they have. Three ones next year. To me, this is about building the foundation that you can support the quarterback. Okay. What am I not asking you? You got one more item for me here that I'm asking you before we go do this thing for real?

22:29The thing that as I was looking at it again this morning is when you have teams that aren't used to being up there, like the Chiefs at nine, when are they up there? They're never up there. Right. You look at the Rams, you know, it's like found money for these guys. It is. So if somebody, if we see Reese or Love or one of these guys that we think is a marquee player start to trickle down, man, my spidey senses are going to go up that those two teams I'd keep an eye on. Yeah, who's going to do something crazy? Somebody is. It happens every year. Every year. I was talking to a GM this morning, and I said, we'll just see when it goes off the rails.

22:58He goes, well, when did it go off the rails last year? I'm like, I don't know, the second pick? Yeah.

23:02Rich Eisen:We didn't talk about Cam Ward. You know, like normally you're going to talk. Tonight we're talking about Mendoza before he goes on, before the pick. Right. Because we know it's essentially done, and we're front-loading it because with eight minutes in between picks, it's going to go fast, and we kind of want to front load that to get that out of the way. Last year, Cam Ward, we were assuming it was going to be him. And then as soon as he starts walking towards the stage, the Jaguars are now on the clock. How about that? Yeah. And so, yeah, it went off. Stole a little thunder there. By the way, there's always times when you evaluate a player, maybe you see him in a minicamp and you get nervous.

23:40Mendoza, guy did not love that first pitch. I didn't love it. You know, he kind of crow hopped into it. He kind of did it a little bit. He did it like a football guy. Yeah, that's what he did. He threw it like a football.

23:48Rich Eisen:Also, 2010, Tom Brady won MVP. 2011 draft, they took Ryan Mallett 74th overall. Yeah. That's not in the 13th pick. Mendoza crow-hopped, but it's okay. They're not drafting him for the athletics for when they come into town. I didn't move him on my list, but I'm just saying I didn't feel great about it. Yeah, a little bit of red flag. We're out of time. Otherwise, we'd be definitely talking a lot about baseball. Your Padres, my Yanks, these two guys, they stopped following it. It's 98 all over again. Draft season is here, and everybody's talking about franchise players, blockbuster trades, and the moves that can reshape a team.

24:23Rich Eisen:When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors is the kind of pick you can trust, especially after another long winter with your old windows. Discover why Pella Windows and Doors is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere. Visit Pella.com slash Eisen today. That's Pella.com slash Eisen. Make life brighter with Pella Windows and Doors. I will see you later, sir. Thank you, Daniel. Thank you, guys. It's a beautiful day. Ron Woodson making his way to our set right now. He's next. This is the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN and Disney+.

24:56Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show podcast. Their first round pick. Yes, Ron Woodson. I was like, well, Mr. Boston, with all due respect, you can tell him I never had money. I don't know what money feels like in my pocket. But tomorrow I will be in East France. And I got on the plane the next morning and went to East France. And I am so happy I made that decision because I had a ball being over there as a young player, just learning how to play a run track overseas. And it was gorgeous being there in Spain and Morocco. Well, I know you went to Germany. Went to Germany. Because the reason why I know this is because early on, I've told this story before on the air.

25:35Rich Eisen:I'll tell it again. I think it was like year two, year three of NFL Network. and they asked the two of us to go to NFL Films in New Jersey and call an NFL Europe game off of the television screen. I remember that. And we were sitting in that edit bay, right, getting set to call a football game nationally when it's being played overseas. And it was the Berlin Thunder. Was that the name of the team, the Berlin Thunder? Berlin Thunder for the NFL Europe. Yeah, right. And they showed the shot of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. And you're like, I've run track there. Yeah, Berlin Thunder. And I'm like, what?

26:12Rich Eisen:And you told the story of you holding out on the Pittsburgh Steelers after they drafted you, and part of the place that you went to go run was in that stadium where Jesse Owens told the Nazis not today. You know, and you ran there holding out on the Steelers. So did you tell Chuck Knoll? What did he say to you when you finally got in there? I didn't tell Chuck Knoll to his face. I told Jim to tell Chuck. What about Mr. Rooney? Nope, I didn't talk to Mr. Rooney either. It was just Mr. Boston. Now, this was Papa Rooney too, right? This was Papa Rooney, yeah. Well, the chief was around, but he wasn't a day-to-day operator.

26:58Rich Eisen:It was already Dan. It was already Dan. I had the conversation with Dan. We talked, but But my statement was to Mr. Ball. I don't know if I could have said that to Chuck Knoll. I don't know if that would have came out to Chuck Knoll. But since it was Mr. Ballston who was representing them. Yes. And I was like, listen, I never had money in my pocket. I don't know what it feels like. I mean, I don't need the money right now. I'm going to go overseas and go run. And it was a great decision. I mean, 21-year-old kid from Fort Wayne, Indiana, going over there and went to all these different countries for free.

27:32and they paid me some little money for running track. I mean, it was a blast.

27:37Rich Eisen:Where were you on your draft night? I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana. You had no cell phones, right? So landlines, road trip to your phone. I mean, so it's like there's a, I think it was me, my mother, dad, Eugene Parker, Demoff, and... Need parts fast? O 'Reilly Auto Parts as fast. Need them now? We've got now. No matter what you need, we have thousands of professional parts people doing their part to make sure you have it. We're O 'Reilly Fast. Just one part that makes O 'Reilly stand apart. The professional parts people. Oh, oh, oh, O 'Reilly. Auto Parts.

28:28Rich Eisen:Quick time out. Some breakfast intel you want to know about. Kodiak frozen power waffles and flapjacks are built for busy mornings. Heat it, eat it, and you're out the door. No long prep, no complicated game plan. They're packed with 12 to 14 grams of protein per serving, a good source of fiber, and crafted with 100 % whole grains, not refined white flour. So you're getting something that actually fuels you. And there's depth on the roster. Buttermilk and vanilla, blueberry, chocolate chip, even gluten-free options. Breakfast that delivers. Snack that delivers. Find Kodiak frozen waffles and flapjacks in the frozen aisle at your local grocery store.

29:09Rich Eisen:They're the ones with the bear on the box. And I think that was it. Outside of the local media. And everyone had to stay off the phone, right? Because there was no call waiting. That's right. You get a busy signal, right? They got to try to call back, right? But I get a phone call when the ninth pick was up. I get a phone call from the New Orleans Saints and said, if you're at 11, we're picking you. And then ninth pick gets selected. Tenth pick is on the clock. My phone rings. I never talked to the Steelers. Ever. Never. The whole process, never talked to them. Because they didn't think I was going to be there on the board still.

29:53And I can't remember exactly who called, who made the phone call, but I did talk to Chuck, talked to Tony, and they're like, do you mind if we draft you? I'm like, what? Like, yeah. Like, I just want to get picked. Yes. So, I mean, obviously it was, for me, a great opportunity to come to a great franchise that had that standard as a standard. But then being around, you know, John Stallworth is still on the team. Mike Webby was still on the team.

30:19Rich Eisen:Is Mel gone? He's gone. Mel was gone. So the only three left over from the Super Bowl times were with Stallworth, Webby, and Donnie Shale. And Donnie Shale was my roommate on the road games. And Stallworth, I remember my first game, we come in at halftime, and I'm like, I walk in, and I'm like, I smell smoke. Because my mother used to smoke cigarettes, right? And I'm like, somebody in this joker is smoking cigarettes. I'm looking, now I'm like searching for the person who's smoking cigarettes. And I'm walking through everywhere. And I go into the training room. John Stallworth is laying on the training table, puffing it up.

31:03I'm like, this is not college anymore. This is not college.

31:09Rich Eisen:Rod Woodson here on the Rich Eisen show. So first time you walked into Pittsburgh then was in your life? Was after you signed? No, we took a flight here. Okay. Right after the draft. Well, that's cool. I mean, because I just, you know, obviously the draft being here in this town, you know, how people are just going crazy right now. I tell you what, you know, they've done a, to see where this has came, the city itself, when I first got here in 87, from an industrial city to a tech city and the work they've put into it, they deserve it. You can see the excitement in all the locals' faces. I mean, my old nanny called me just a little bit ago, so she's excited.

31:53She's excited. Everybody's excited because she doesn't even understand football. But, you know, everybody around the communities are excited, and I'm glad it finally came here.

32:03Rich Eisen:Who's the team that's going to be booed the loudest by Steelers fans when they're on the clock tonight? Oh, Cleveland. Really? Yeah. Not the Ravens? Well, yeah, I forgot about the Ravens. Yeah, I mean, you only call games for them. I do, I do. But in my head – You only won a Super Bowl with them, Rod. In my head, I'm in the old AFC Central. Okay. Right, Steel. Yeah. Ravens weren't even there yet, right? Right. I mean, it's – The Browns? It is. But the Browns are kind of harmless to Steelers fans, no? That is true, Rich. That is true. They're not doing a whole bunch right now. Uh-huh. Yeah, you know what?

32:41Let me reel that one back to Rich. Okay. Take my answer back.

32:44Rich Eisen:You may take it back. Take it back. Yeah, the Ravens. Yeah, the Ravens. They will boo them. Because every time they play, it's always close. Those two teams have won. Hate each other, man. You know why they hate each other? No. Because they're so much alike. Yeah. They're very similar in the way they structure their ownership. You know, the Rooney family doesn't really get involved in the day-to-day. Steve Busciotti doesn't get involved in the day-to-day. They let the people who it's their responsibility to do that, let them do their work. And, you know, if you're a part of the organization, you're a part of the family.

33:20in both of them. And it's really the only difference is, think about it, it's a run-first offense, both of them.

33:26Rich Eisen:Right. Outside of this past year when Aaron came back for the Steelers. And then defenses are hard-hitting, no-nonsense defenses. The only difference is one city here, black and gold. The other city, purple and white, purple and black. Yeah. And that's the only difference, just the colors. Yeah. And now they're both on new head coaches. I know. That's crazy. Isn't it? It really is. I was shocked that John left. Well, he was asked to leave. Yeah, he was asked to leave. What he was asked to leave is— I mean, Mike left, although there were some people in this town who were getting more vocal about asking him to leave.

34:06Yeah, I mean, he was asked to leave after he wouldn't let one of his employees go. And Mike—I think they just mutually parted ways. And maybe he did hear the outside noise, even though he never had a losing season, but they haven't won a playoff game in such a long time. So hearing all that, you know. And if you ever heard him talk, he's going to be good on TV.

34:34Rich Eisen:Oh, I think of that. He's going to be great. I don't think there's any doubt of that. He's going to be great on TV. And he doesn't have to work like that. He's not going to be in the building every day. So his family gets to see more. So, you know, unfortunate for us, two really good coaches. So, I mean, John went over to the Giants, but, you know, we lost a really good coach in Mike. So, let's just – two quick questions, and then we'll talk about NFL alumni health and get you on for the rest of your draft day. Rod, what's in here on the Rich Eisen Show? Aaron Rodgers, we're waiting to hear from him.

35:04Rich Eisen:Still. Yes, we are. Yeah. Do you think the Steelers should continue to wait for him or move on? What do you think, Rod? You know, I think last year I think they had an agreement, but it wasn't on paper. I think they have an agreement. If they do, I think it's already set in stone. Okay. He's just waiting. But like I said before, Rich, there's something wrong with these Green – something with the Green Bay Packer quarterbacks. They just like to wait. I don't know what it is. They just like to wait. Yeah, the 2037 Jordan Love is going to be great on the Jets until he isn't. That's right. And then he's going to go somewhere else.

35:45But at the end of the day, though, Rich, with Aaron, they still need a quarterback. So, I mean, unless you believe in Will Howard, if you believe in him that much, then don't worry about Aaron Rodgers coming back because he's going to need the reps. So let's get him started. If you really believe in him, then you should say, Aaron's not coming in. We're not worried about Aaron. Howard is our guy. But right now it's crickets.

36:13Rich Eisen:So we'll see. Yeah, it's crickets, but I'm with you. I think something's already been decided. We just, for whatever reason, you know, Rodgers doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag. And what's your first sense of the Ravens so far with Jesse Minter as the HC there, Rod? Well, I mean, it's going to be interesting to see the difference of how they use Lamar. Do they still structure him and put him in a system where his attributes come to the forefront, right? So he can run, he can get out of the pocket, he can make plays. So is it going to be a run-first football team, or are we in 11 personnel all the time?

36:53Which I know they lost two of their tight ends, so they've got to get another tight end to fill that spot.

36:59Rich Eisen:Well, it could be Sadiq tonight, 14th overall. That's beginning to be bandied about right now. I mean, if you want Lamar to be in the 12 personnel, two tight ends, two receivers, and running back, then you need another stud at the tight end position. But if you're going to put him in a true West Coast and put him in 11 personnel and he's running read options and zone reads and RPOs, I mean, he could do it, yes. But Lamar likes to make plays. And that's the only thing that scares me with him being an 11 a whole bunch because he might start taking off a little bit too much and starting to get hit again.

37:42And that's one thing you don't want to see.

37:43Rich Eisen:Don't you think, though, a guy who is a defensive head coach from the Harbaugh lineage coming to Baltimore with Derrick Henry on the team, that they're going to be – they're not changing that – that leopard is not changing that spot, Matt. I would think most defensive coaches are a run-first mentality. Yeah, yeah. But when you have Lamar, sometimes you get away – sometimes you can, like, get so enamored at what he can do. throwing the football and running it on his own, that you lose sight of the bigger picture of still having Derrick Henry. I know they lost Keaton Mitchell, but they got heel steel.

38:21So they got some weapons back there. So I just think that making sure Lamar protects himself and let him be healthy throughout the whole year, if they can do that, a lot of good things can happen for him.

38:32Rich Eisen:What are you doing with the NFL Alumni Health, sir? What are you doing? So NFL Alumni Health is partnered with Tolo Health, and they've come up with an initiative called Health Lives Here. And you can go to healthliveshere.ai, and it's a great initiative for preventions, being basically proactive, and not just with our community from NFL, because we know that some of my contemporaries are starting to pass away. We know some of the offensive and defensive linemen are bigger guys and they need to lose weight. They have a product inside of that called Forsett. that can help you as you're losing weight that you don't lose your muscle mass.

39:14And I mean, I think it's a great product. I think it's a great initiative. And not only for prevention, but just being proactive on your health. As we get older, we want to live healthy. We want to be healthier. But you've got to be active. You've got to be proactive with it. You can't wait until the symptoms hit you and then try to react to it.

39:38Rich Eisen:healthliveshere.ai to learn more about it. And, you know, it's always great to see you. Oh, yeah, congratulations on Purdue winning the Big Ten Championship tournament. I know. They won that. And then what happened? Well, there's another tournament that got played afterwards. This is just a way for him to gloat, Rod. Who won that? I don't know. There's no gloating. I don't know. I don't know who won that. Excuse me. Winning the Big Ten tournament is a big thing. No, no. I just congratulated his Purdue Boilermakers for doing that. They beat Michigan. Backhanded. It's not backhanded. He's a Purdue guy, and I figured I would give you your props.

40:16As he did it, he did it with his hand open to himself, so he did backhand me.

40:23Because we do give each other the business when it comes to Purdue and Michigan. Listen, I am so happy. Think about this. Okay. Big Ten. National champions in football.

40:37Rich Eisen:Three years running. And basketball. That's correct. So what's the best commerce series in the country? SEC. Okay. Okay. There you go. See, that's why. By the way, it's because his soon-to-be wife, who he's been with for a long time, is a big Georgia fan. So he's totally bought into that. I have to hold the household line right. They got good athletes, too. You get it. They just can't win. They can't win collectively. That's all. Well, not anymore. Yeah, not anymore. Not anymore because it just means more in the Big Ten. Thanks for joining me. Roderick, thank you, sir. Where are you watching the draft tonight?

41:17Rich Eisen:Are you making an announcement of a pick? Are we doing anything? No. You're doing nothing? I am not. I'm doing a couple other things before that, but I'm not going to. So you're not part of the Steelers contingent that's coming out with the commissioner tonight? No. I'll just watch from afar. Okay. Well, I'll be thinking of you. Well, I appreciate it, sir. I love you, buddy. That's Rod Woodson, Super Bowl champion, pro football Hall of Famer, courtesy of NFL alumni health. HealthLivesHere.ai to learn more. We're back with a special draft day higher register here on ESPN from Pittsburgh.

41:51Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show as a simulcast on ESPN Radio as well as Sirius XM, ESPN Cable. We're moving to ESPN 2 at the top of the hour for a final hour with Seth Rollins and Cam Hayward joining us here in our studio. We all know running a small business meaning important stuff for all of you. That running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your businesses grow. The challenge is finding that person without sorting through resumes, and that's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent.

42:35Rich Eisen:With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash eisen. Terms and conditions apply. All right. So you were just talking about Rod Woodson's old restaurant, right? Yeah. Like every time he comes on the show, I bring up that back in the day, his restaurant was my favorite place. I played Carnell Lake in a video game, as I told his son when he came on. So we drove by yesterday. Yeah, we drove by where it used to be. It was like it used to be right over there.

43:11Rich Eisen:Was that on the way for you to go to Primanti Brothers? No, no, on the way to dinner on Tuesday. Crossing Smithfield Street Bridge. Now you went to Primanti Brothers for the first time. We went to Primanti's yesterday for lunch, and it was fantastic. One of my old friends is a manager there. Oh, is that right? I hadn't seen her in years. We ran into a couple fans of the show. Shout out David in Ohio. All right. He told us his favorite segment is higher register. Yeah. So we're now going to give – because we haven't done it in a while. We haven't done it in a while. Is that why you came in suggesting we should do it today?

43:40Rich Eisen:Pretty much yesterday. We were like, we should do higher register tomorrow. Well, certainly for the draft. Absolutely. All right. And we just had a perfect example of it from Rod Woodson. No! Where he's like, you know, you're doing pretty well. I'm like, you know, you went higher register, which means you don't believe what you just said. And he went, no, no, which doubled down on the registry. All right. So it's time for a 2026 draft day edition of Higher Register. Hit it. There's a chance. The Ridge Eisen shows. But there could be. Higher Register. Take of the week. All right. First time we've ever done it on draft day.

44:17Rich Eisen:Chris, what do you got over there? So here's the deal. You mentioned this name earlier today, Rich. Brandon Ayuk, wide receiver. Why am I talking about wide receivers? Will him get up talking this morning about George Pickens? Maybe he could get traded, TJ. He's not getting traded. They're just going to maybe not sign him long term. Sorry, go ahead. Brian Thomas is getting dangled out there because Jacksonville wants to move back in. I think, guys, we're going to see some star players traded this weekend. Let's go. Some guys are going to get moved. I don't know. It's just like sometimes your higher register is like some part of your anatomy is getting squeezed.

44:55Rich Eisen:That's the only way I know how to do it. Apparently. I'm just going to jump in here. Sorry, Jason. I feel like Bert's laughing off camera. What do you got, T.J.? My higher register, he literally just kind of. You just mapped it? Oh, no, really? You bogarted a higher register? It is. And then you doubled down by saying it wasn't going to happen. My higher register was going to be, with all the talk about George Pickens and the Cowboys and getting this contract done, the Dallas Cowboys. They're going to end up trading George Pickens tonight. They're not trading Pickens. Why are you so adamant about that?

45:26Rich Eisen:Because they've got him under contract for this year, and it's already fit under the cap, and he's not going anywhere. But Rich, they're saying there's no more talk about the contract, which means they're done. If he goes in there and he's not happy, I could throw a monkey wrench in some things. Guess what? Guess what? He's playing for the Cowboys this year on the tag. And by the way, this is negotiating. This is negotiating. They don't have to make this decision until mid-June. You're going to pay two wide receivers over$100 million? I've got my higher register now, sir. Okay. You ready? I'm ready.

45:58Rich Eisen:Here we go. The Jets have the second overall selection. That's a lower register. And the 16th overall selection. Who's Barry White? I'm ramping up. The second overall selection, is it David Bailey? Everybody loves him, right? Except Arvel Reese is what's causing everybody to trade up, maybe, if they leave him on the board. And then they cancel David Bailey's 30 visit, and you're like, what are they doing? What are they doing? And then at 16th overall, who the heck knows what they're going to do? And it's the general manager. This is the latest setup for Jet fans to have the draft gods just kick them in the nards at the end of the day.

46:36Rich Eisen:That's just the latest setup. This is the latest now also ask of Jet fans to believe in the rebuild. But I'm just saying the top 30 visit being canceled means maybe they just got everything they needed on David Bailey. And they were grinding on who is the 16th overall pick. And they're going to get a great wide receiver on that front. And Omar Cooper may be that guy. And I'll tell you what, at the end of the day, I think the Jets are going to nail this thing.

47:06Rich Eisen:I kind of think that they got this thing settled in the second overall and the 16th overall. They canceled the top 30 visit because they're going to take Bailey and they're making the right decision and they're going to get the right guy at 16 because they had a top 30 visit. What could go wrong? I think the Jets are going to nail this thing tonight. I have faith in them. I know you do. I know you do. I do not have faith in them. Yankees up on the Red Sox by six. Hour two in the books here. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast