In short
The Rich Eisen Show - Episode Summary
Episode Title
Hour 3
Live from the NFL Combine with Caleb Downs, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport & Andrew Siciliano
Episode Description This episode features discussions live from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where Rich Eisen and NFL Insider Ian Rapoport delve into potential quarterback cuts, roster changes, and trade prospects for the upcoming NFL season. Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs shares insights on his transition from Alabama, his NFL Draft prospects, and the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Andrew Siciliano takes over to discuss Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft.
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Key Discussions
NFL Combine Insights
- Rich Eisen's Excitement: Rich expresses his enthusiasm for the NFL Combine, highlighting the event's significance in the lead-up to the NFL Draft.
- Franchise Tag Decisions: Ian Rapoport discusses the franchise tag deadline and the implications for players like Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, and Tua Tagovailoa.
Quarterbacks on the Move
- Potential Cuts: Ian mentions several quarterbacks who might be released, including Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray, and discusses the evolving dynamics of quarterback contracts and the salary cap.
- Impact of Cuts: The discussion emphasizes how these potential moves can significantly reshape team rosters and the draft landscape.
Caleb Downs Interview
- Transition from Alabama to Ohio State: Caleb shares his surprise at Nick Saban's retirement and how it influenced his decision to transfer.
- NFL Draft Prospects: Caleb discusses his position as a highly rated safety and his confidence in being a game-changer despite the perception that safeties don't go high in the draft.
- Rivalry with Michigan: He reflects on the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and his experiences at Alabama.
Mock Draft Discussion
- Mel Kiper Jr.’s Mock Draft 2.0: Andrew Siciliano and the team analyze Mel Kiper's latest mock draft, highlighting notable picks and discussing the implications of Caleb Downs being projected as a high draft selection.
- Top Picks: Discussion includes Caleb Downs potentially going high due to his versatility and impact.
- Player Comparisons: The team discusses various prospects, their potential teams, and what their draft positions may indicate about team strategies.
Miscellaneous
- Rich’s Departure: Rich Eisen prepares to transition from the radio show to a live TV segment, showcasing his multitasking skills.
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Key Takeaways
- The NFL Combine serves as a critical precursor to the NFL Draft, where teams gather crucial information to make roster decisions.
- The potential release of established quarterbacks indicates a shifting landscape in the NFL, with teams willing to part ways with high-profile players.
- Caleb Downs is positioned as a significant prospect in the upcoming draft, despite discussions surrounding the value of safeties in high picks.
- Mock drafts will continue to evolve, reflecting new information as the draft approaches.
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Conclusion This episode captures the excitement and anticipation surrounding the NFL Combine and the upcoming draft. With insights from insiders and interviews with draft prospects, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in the NFL as teams prepare for a new season.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOLive from the NFL Combine
1:27 to 2:14
Rich discusses the excitement and preparations for the NFL scouting combine.
“Live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.”
The Puzzle of Free Agency and the Draft
2:14 to 4:35
A deep dive into how the combine sets the stage for free agency and the draft.
“to finally hit the field of Lucas Oil attached to the convention center.”
Quarterback Movements and Trends
4:35 to 6:20
Discussion on potential quarterback changes and trades ahead of the draft.
“selling soap for my show reading the read.”
Analyzing Kyler Murray's Situation
6:20 to 9:42
Examining the reasons behind potential changes for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
“What does everyone want to know from you?”
Tua's Future with Miami
9:42 to 12:07
Exploration of Tua's prospects with the Dolphins amid a changing regime.
“They were like this is Jacoby's our guy now and I don't know how many quarterbacks would want to go back in the building after that.”
Franchise Tag Implications
12:07 to 14:00
Analyzing potential franchise tag decisions and their impact on the NFL landscape.
“He's property of the Saints, so they would have to trade him.”
Colts and Free Agency Developments
14:00 to 16:43
Discussion around the Colts' quarterback situation and implications for free agency.
“already know i don't know that there's going to be that many more the colts have a situation where they're going to they're either going to sign daniel jones to a long-term deal or they're going to franchise tag him.”
Caleb Downs Introduction
16:44 to 16:58
Introduction of Caleb Downs and his transition from Alabama to Ohio State.
“Because Tom would be like, come on, man.”
Caleb Downs' Football Journey
18:44 to 19:17
Caleb shares his experience playing under Nick Saban and his decision to move to Ohio State.
“back here on our radio and television streams together.”
Nick Saban's Impact on Players
19:18 to 21:45
Caleb reflects on Nick Saban's leadership and the emotions surrounding his retirement.
“I took a visit there after my sophomore year.”
Show all 18 chapters
Draft Prospects and Future Aspirations
21:46 to 24:20
Caleb discusses his draft prospects and the emotional anticipation of draft night.
“and I gave up a touchdown, but it was also kind of like he didn't want to scare the freshman in the middle of the game.”
Rivalries and Personal Reflections
24:21 to 25:31
Caleb shares insights on rivalries in college football and his personal reflections on competition.
“But it'll be honored and a blessed feeling to be in that situation.”
Wrap-Up with Caleb Downs
25:32 to 26:40
Final thoughts with Caleb on his future in the NFL and closing remarks.
“I mean, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.”
Episode Discussion
28:00 to 42:00
“or out of your house for an extended period of time.”
Analyzing Reuben Bain's Measurables
42:00 to 43:09
Explore the implications of Reuben Bain's arm length and its historical context in the NFL.
“It absolutely means something, and people can laugh at it.”
Bengals' Draft Strategy Discussion
43:10 to 44:36
A deep dive into the Bengals' previous drafting choices and their potential strategy moving forward.
“But remember, last year they did exactly the opposite.”
The Importance of Production vs. Measurables
44:37 to 45:28
Debate on whether production or physical measurables should dictate draft choices.
“So in Cleveland, you'll probably yell Elo instead of Kobe.”
Looking Ahead to the NFL Draft
45:29 to 47:11
Discussion on upcoming draft picks and changes expected in mock drafts as the event approaches.
“Delaying the corner from the Cowboys at 12.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Rich Eisen:We're leaving today and entering a world of Mickey Mouse waving, princess meeting and greeting, lightsaber clashing, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror dropping, Banshee flying, Space Mountain launching, galaxy rewinding, fireworks igniting, World of Other Worlds. For whatever you love, infinite worlds await at the most magical place on earth. Walt Disney World Resort. So good, so good, so good.
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1:00Rich Eisen:This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody.
1:04Andrew Siciliano:Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere.
1:09Ian Rapoport: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. Live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The Rich Eisen Show. Earlier on the show. NFL Network Analyst Charles Davis. ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller. Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. Coming up. NFL Network Insider Ian Rappaport. NFL Draft Prospect Caleb Downs. And now, it's Rich Eisen.
2:01Rich Eisen:Hour number three of day number three of the Rich Eisen Show, live from the Indianapolis Downtown Convention Center, where the media is all gathered, getting set for the NFL scouting combine to finally hit the field of Lucas Oil attached to the convention center. This third hour is going to be quite a wild one for yours truly, sitting right here on the set getting set to chat with this man ian rapaport then caleb down sits here and then i run out the building and then uh our good friend andrew siciliano sits down here and finishes the show with tj and chris brockman and then i'll start the nfl network coverage that you're part of as well getting ready to to roll with the on-field drills with the defenders sir
2:44Andrew Siciliano:yeah i am irrationally excited about this every year i mean it comes the best right now i don't get to like really watch it on tv because i'm usually walking around talking to people right but it's like the draft is the best the combine is you know i know senior bowl but combine really feels like the start of it right and there's no one else who does it and it is just it is the best i'm i cannot wait right and you and dj do an amazing job and you're and i love you know
3:07Rich Eisen:throwing you in the mix because um everything that we're talking about right now leads to the next three weeks of activity. I mean, it's a puzzle piece that the next three weeks of activity of franchise tag decisions on Tuesday with a deadline, then what is it? Nine days, eight days after that is when the new league year begins with a window opening up, right? And then that's what happens there affects decisions made at the draft. It's all one big, huge puzzle piece. And that's what starts right now. Right.
3:43Andrew Siciliano:And so like when I'll be walking around here and people say like, hey, what's going on? Like, what are you hearing? And I'm like, I don't know, man, all the things. And that's what this week is like. It's like, who do I run into? Who do I, like, what do I hear? Everyone's trying to find out info. Every free agent's going to make a lot of money. All the prices are crazy. And then you get home and you're like, all right, what's the real price? It's like, who could be traded? Who could be released? What does this mean for who they're going to end up drafting? Like it's, it really is like, there's always, free agency is great.
4:13Andrew Siciliano:And I know for fans, it's like literally amazing. But there is always relief when it's over because it's like, all right, I have a sense for what the big picture looks like. Now we can get into the draft and see like, all right, what's kind of the next phase? Yes.
4:24Rich Eisen:Settle into all that business. And plus, you never know when news is going to hit. Mike Hoskins, my coordinating producer during the show open of our third hour, got on my ear. And I guess when I was, you know, selling soap for my show reading the read. There was video, I guess, they found our cameras caught you on your phone showing something to Tom Pellicero and him going, oh, hmm.
4:50Andrew Siciliano:I'll tell you exactly what that is. It's not news, but there is a party that I was invited to tonight that I would like my good friend Tom to join me at. Is that what that was? Might be mutually beneficial.
5:02Rich Eisen:Okay. I mean, Brockman is now sitting over there going. Brockman is not invited. Plus two. No. TJ's plus three. TJ can come. Here's the deal. I was able to see what it is. Jordan Schultz is having a party at a Starbucks. And he's paying for the whole thing himself. You want a coffee?
5:21Andrew Siciliano:So I've been to that Starbucks at the JW. You have? You've been back? I was there. That's where I came from. Oh. It's a great meeting spot for, you know, you run into people. Teams and agents will have to cross over from a meeting to another. So they go there. And so people are like, wow, you're back. And I'm like, where did you think I was going to go? Like, it's literally, I like coffee. They have like little sandwiches there. Like, where else would I be?
5:45Rich Eisen:Just, just, if you're going to have the Thrilla and Vanilla part two, you got to make sure I'm there. I got to be there for that.
5:53Andrew Siciliano:I mean, you would have said that last time, except like I had Garofalo there and all he did was take pictures. You know, like I was like, hey, he's like, oh, I would have jumped in. And Mike, sure, after you took the picture, sent it to literally everyone, like couldn't have sent it to more people. So when they're like, wow, I can't believe there's a picture. I'm like, I can't believe it took this long because Mike sent it to every single person in his phone. He should have stepped in. He was more busy taking pictures.
6:20Rich Eisen:Ridiculous. All right. So the story of this combine is what? What is it right now? What does everyone want to know from you?
6:27Andrew Siciliano:combine wise specifically yes sir obviously fernando mendoza is i think everyone believes going to be the number one yes sir overall pick you know what happens after i think is interesting draft will be really interesting some like i know it's really not like a flashpoint quarterback like last year with shador yes sir but going to be a pretty good draft the story of the other stuff at the comment is really where all the quarterbacks going yes sir we are going to have a situation i can never remember. So like, really two years ago, Russell Wilson was cut by the Broncos and signed to the Steelers for a million bucks or whatever it was a starting quarterback who was due the minimum.
7:05Andrew Siciliano:And we were all like, this is crazy. This never happens. We could have like five of them this year. Seriously. Tua, if he gets released, Kyler, if he gets released, Justin Fields, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, who already is making$10 million this year from the Falcons or everything else is offset unless he gets over 10. So he could play for the minimum. It's a lot of starting quarterbacks who could be cut at any moment. So, you know, instead of waiting till free agency, we could be talking to a Kyler, all those guys next week, not two weeks. Right.
7:41Rich Eisen:Like, to what do we owe this? Is it because the cap keeps getting bigger? So eating this type of money, even though it is still highly significant it is more doable every passing year because the cap gets bigger because why are why are we in a situation where is it just an outlier or is this becoming something that that might be a trend i don't think it's an outlier what i think is
8:09Andrew Siciliano:if you have a guy like you have a starting quarterback who you drafted and it comes to point where it's either pay him or not. And almost always the choice is pay him. Because if you don't pay him, you got to go find another one, right? It's like every quarterback discussion, even with the Vikings, it's like, like, oh, are they gonna, you know, replace JJ? It's like, well, they're not going to replace him. They're going to add because if you were like, you have to find someone else. So everyone decides to pay. And what happens is, at least in these cases, you pay these guys, then you're like, okay, well, this is not my guy anymore.
8:43Andrew Siciliano:And now you have no choice. So I think it's more teams feeling the need to pay their quarterbacks, whether they really merit those deals or not. And then having to deal with the fallout.
8:54Rich Eisen:What about Murray? Why, why would the Cardinals be divorcing Kyler Murray? I haven't really heard a solid story.
9:06Andrew Siciliano:Here's the argument. And I would say this. I believe he'll get released. I don't know it for sure. So I'm not saying like, but here's the argument to keep him, right? The argument to keep him is he's still a good quarterback. Yes. You're already paying him$40-something million. He's due$20 million next year if he's on the roster. So that's guaranteed.
9:28Rich Eisen:If he's on the roster this year or on the roster?
9:30Andrew Siciliano:If he's on the roster this year, he's guaranteed$20 million next year. Okay. That's why a release is likely for that money. But let's say you don't. Well, then you just deal with the 20 million later and you have your starting quarterback and they have a new system They have a new coach. There's a possibility that Michael for says I'm just going to keep this guy The reason why you move on is last year was a lot he got injured it was I think probably worse than people thought took longer than people thought they basically benched him for Jacoby Brissett Even though he was also kind of come back from an injury.
10:03Andrew Siciliano:They were like this is Jacoby's our guy now and I don't know how many quarterbacks would want to go back in the building after that. Those are the arguments on both sides.
10:11Rich Eisen:But before he got hurt is when he made that correct statement about the facilities that were being announced coming where he said, if I'm going to be here, that was before he got hurt. And so something was already up.
10:25Andrew Siciliano:They were not good. I mean, you know, I think he would like to be in a place that's not rebuilding. And actually, like, I sort of think sneakily, the Cardinals have some talent. Like, they really do. Like, I could see if they get, you know, Malik Willis, I don't know, a really viable starting quarterback. Right. They could be kind of good. Like, they got talent, but I just don't know. I think, Kyler, you reach a point within an organization where you're like, I don't think it's going to happen. I would like something new.
10:52Rich Eisen:Okay. And is Tua that way with Miami right now? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:56Andrew Siciliano:I mean, he said it. Don't take my word. Like, Tua said, like, you know, in his locker room clean-out day, was basically like, do you think you would benefit from a fresh start? And he was like, yeah.
11:09Rich Eisen:All right. All right. Good to know. But now there's a new regime and that just doesn't. Listen, both Monty Austin Ford and John Eric Sullivan won at a podium in the ladder right in the chair from which you're sitting was like all options on the table, which means it's over. At least that's the way I took it.
11:29Andrew Siciliano:Well, I think both those GMs didn't do the deals that they're now trying to get out from, which gives them the sort of flexibility to say I'm out.
11:36Rich Eisen:Right. Like I'm cleaning up on aisle predecessor. You know, so where give me give me spots that you think these teams that a team would go and hire either one of these guys and say you're our starter. There's no competition. They're not coming in as a backup. All right. You're the starter.
11:54Andrew Siciliano:Oh, well, that makes it harder. OK. Right. Right, because I don't know that there's—I mean, the Jets would be one. I'd have to look at the list. Jets would be one, I know. And they can spend a little bit. And then I should also say Derek Carr potentially in the mix as well. What's the scoop there? He's property of the Saints, so they would have to trade him. It wouldn't be much, but they could get some draft pick compensation. You know, he's 34. Yeah. And younger than I thought. Right. His shoulder, which he thought was going to be probably done forever, is not. Didn't have surgery, but I think he's in a good place.
12:29Andrew Siciliano:So he's kind of in the mix for starting quarterback as well. So, like, you know, you have, I mean, you have the Dolphins. You have the Cardinals. The Raiders will need a sort of bridge guy, more of like the Russell Wilson mold to help Fernando Mendoza.
12:45Rich Eisen:But Tua and Kyler won. I mean, you're going to get them. And certainly Kyler, right? Yeah, but like. Tua with the Jets. I mean, that doesn't seem to make much sense, to be honest.
12:56Andrew Siciliano:There's not a lot of places to go where you're like, all right, you're the starter. I mean, Malik Willis will probably get one.
13:02Rich Eisen:If you're going to the Jets, you've seen the Jets are prepping the battleships for next year's draft. Sure. They have the picks. A lot of that going around. There's a lot of that going around. So you've got to also look at, you know, an opportunity and take it. But you also know it might just be you're bridging. You are bridging.
13:20Andrew Siciliano:But that's okay, though, because let's say you're – I'm not saying it's to it to the Jets, but let's say it is.
Read the full transcript
13:24Rich Eisen:Okay.
13:24Andrew Siciliano:Well, he's only going to sign a one-year deal for nothing because he's already getting paid by the Dolphins. So they can use you, and you can use them. Go out, play well. However many games you win, you win. Jets have plenty of picks, plenty of picks. So they can get up and get whoever quarterback they want next year, win as many games as you can with Tua. If he rebuilds his stock, then he could be a starter for someone else next year. Same with Kyler, same thing.
13:48Rich Eisen:Right. Who are in the few minutes I have left with you here, sir? Franchise tag. from uh let's let's let's talk about it pickens one of them brees hall one of them
13:58Andrew Siciliano:brees hall my guess would be more transition tag than franchise tag okay um and kyle pitts we already know i don't know that there's going to be that many more the colts have a situation where they're going to they're either going to sign daniel jones to a long-term deal or they're going to franchise tag him. If they franchise tag him, then Alec Pierce is probably gone. And that's probably the most interesting, dramatic one. Because you got to keep your quarterback. Because if Daniel Jones is out there, that's a real starting quarterback for somebody. So the Colts got to keep him. And then Alec Pierce probably becomes receiver number one in free agency, said to make a lot of money.
14:43Yeah.
14:44Rich Eisen:You were saying on the show last week when you zoomed in from a ski chalet.
14:49Andrew Siciliano:Cannot believe that works.
14:50Rich Eisen:No, by the way, it sounded great. And I appreciate you doing it. That you said, get ready for Pierce to make a heck of a lot more money than you would think somebody.
15:02Andrew Siciliano:He's going to be, those are the best things in free agency, right? Well, best is when I break it.
15:06Rich Eisen:Nice. Just be clear.
15:07Andrew Siciliano:Or me and Tom. Also good. Yeah.
15:10Rich Eisen:Your Avenger friend.
15:11Andrew Siciliano:Yep. My Avenger friend. Yep. But the guys who, you know, it's hard to be a free agent. It's really hard. You got to not sign a deal that seems kind of good. Right. Lightning has to strike to get a great player to free agency. Yes, sir. And those guys who get to cash in, it's the coolest. It is life-changing money, and it is the coolest. And so, like, I'm looking forward to seeing some of that this year.
15:34Rich Eisen:Okay. And what's the one aspect? Give me a free agency surprise that we're not thinking of right now. No, God. What do you got for me?
15:44Andrew Siciliano:I do think there'll be a bunch of trades. You do? lot of trades for involving who involving you know there's 10 new coaches and so usually we see trades like we did today where you have a new regime and a new scheme yes and they're like all right you have this guy he didn't really fit you have this side didn't really fit let's just trade
16:02Rich Eisen:and similar to what we just saw with the titans and the jets yeah okay exactly and you know it's
16:08Andrew Siciliano:like you try to find guys that fit so 10 new coaches means a lot of players will probably to get traded and there's not that many good free agents. So trades will probably be the market.
16:16Rich Eisen:Okay. All right. Let's send you along because I'm just only a few minutes behind you. I don't want - Yeah, you got to come too. I know. I don't want the producers to say, wait a minute, one third of our on-air staff for the five-hour combine coverage is sitting in the convention center right now.
16:32Andrew Siciliano:To be fair, they know where you are. They can just turn it on.
16:34Rich Eisen:And they know where you are right now too. Okay. So let's go to work, shall we? I got Caleb Downs first, but thank you for being here, buddy. Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
16:44Andrew Siciliano:Sorry I crashed your own Tom's hangout.
16:46Rich Eisen:Don't apologize to Tom. That's what the comment's about. I don't apologize to Tom. Tom's fine. Tom's doing fine. Because Tom would be like, come on, man. The Fonz. Be careful. He might tell you to sit on it. Hey. Ladies and gentlemen. All right, we take a break. Caleb Downs of The Ohio State Football coming up next.
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18:29Rich Eisen:O 'Reilly Veriscan can identify the most likely problem with just one scan. If you need help, O 'Reilly Auto Parts can recommend a shop for you. Don't ignore a check engine, ABS, or maintenance light. Ask for O 'Reilly Veriscan today. A free service exclusively at O 'Reilly Auto Parts. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. The scouting combine on NFL Network. back here on our radio and television streams together. And Caleb Downs, my new friend from the Ohio State University, is here on the program. How did you wind up, kid from Georgia at Alabama? How did that happen?
19:07Ian Rapoport:I mean, I made a commitment in high school to try to push myself to be excellent. And Coach Saban is the most decorated college football coach ever. So that was a way for me to learn from somebody like that. And that meant a lot to me. So when did you first meet him? Did he come to your high school?
19:24Rich Eisen:Did he come?
19:25Ian Rapoport:I took a visit there after my sophomore year. That's when I got the offer there. So I took a visit, met him for the first time at the camp. And, yeah, he's good.
19:35Rich Eisen:And so when he retired, that's when you were?
19:38Ian Rapoport:He retired, and that was kind of a gut punch for me. I took a couple days to learn about the new staff and everybody they hired at Alabama. Ended up deciding it was the best thing for me to leave. Sure. So went with Ohio State. They were probably my second school out of high school, so it wasn't like I was picking randomly.
19:56Rich Eisen:Right, and it was pretty much same staff, Ryan Day.
19:59Ian Rapoport:So a lot of people that I knew, a lot of familiar faces. And I wanted to learn another defense, a different defense. So that's what Coach Knowles offered me, and it was a great opportunity.
20:10Rich Eisen:Well, I spoke last year at the Combine in the draft to some of your teammates from that team, and gut-punched was a way that they might have used to describe learning that Nick Saban was retiring because nobody saw it coming, right? You had no idea? Yeah. Even on that Rose Bowl day, you had no idea that he might be?
20:28Ian Rapoport:No, not a clue, honestly. That was probably the Rose Bowl was like the first or whatever, 31st. I think that was like the eighth or so. Went through eight days. I was actually looking for, because I was staying in the dorms of Alabama, I was looking for an apartment or a townhouse there. And then we had a meeting, came in and retired. So it was like, oh. Okay. The freshmen were asking me, like, is he serious? I was like, he doesn't joke. No, he does. He's not joking. He's not joking.
20:56Rich Eisen:Well, unless it was a joke or something like that, right? Yeah, something like that. Okay. All right, so interestingly enough, I asked this question also of many Alabama Crimson Tide, from Tua to Matt Jones. what's the most angry you made Nick Saban at any point in time?
21:14Ian Rapoport:Honestly, if you ask like Tarion Arnold and Kule McKinstry, they'll probably tell you he didn't really get that mad at me, honestly. So I was one of the lucky ones. Wow. I mean, I try to do things right for the most part. Okay.
21:30Rich Eisen:So never one, like even some of these, Tua said the angriest he made Saban was him joking about throwing that. the interception than a touchdown to win it all.
21:45Ian Rapoport:Honestly, I would say maybe after we played Texas my freshman year and I gave up a touchdown, but it was also kind of like he didn't want to scare the freshman in the middle of the game. So he needed me to play well. So it wasn't like, I don't think he was trying to scare me at that point. Maybe sometime in fall camp or something like that. But it never was, no, I never had that situation. All right, let's talk about the here and now for you.
22:11Rich Eisen:I've seen you, Mel Kuyper had you in his mock draft, drafted second overall. The concept that NFL teams would love you, know what a difference maker you are, you're just a safety, and you can't be taken that high. How do you respond to something like that, Caleb?
22:27Ian Rapoport:At the end of the day, it's not safety. It's who affects the game. So it's who affects the game on defense, and you can affect the game in a lot of different ways. And I think if you watch my film, you see that I'm affecting the game in the box, in the deep part of the field, sometimes on special teams, whatever it takes. So, yeah, I feel confident in my abilities at any point, in any situation. So whatever position I get put in, it'll have to work out.
22:54Rich Eisen:Right, but have you mentioned this to teams? Have they asked you about what I just asked you at all?
23:01Ian Rapoport:No.
23:02Rich Eisen:Not really?
23:03Ian Rapoport:No. They just have a conversation with me. All right. Talk about ball and then go from there.
23:07Rich Eisen:Have you met with the Raiders?
23:09Ian Rapoport:I'm not.
23:09Rich Eisen:You're not going down this road?
23:11Ian Rapoport:Yeah, I'm not going down that road.
23:12Rich Eisen:How many teams have you met with here then?
23:15Ian Rapoport:I have over half a dozen. I mean, over a dozen interviews. Got a couple more today. So, got to finish it off today.
23:21Rich Eisen:So, have you met with all the teams in the top ten? I've met with a couple teams. Okay. Why don't you want to say who you met with?
23:30Ian Rapoport:I don't know if we're supposed to, honestly.
23:31Rich Eisen:It's not like Fight Club. It's okay. Yeah. It's okay. Listen, I don't think your draft stock would be affected by teams that have reached out to you.
23:40Ian Rapoport:I mean, I would just rather keep it in misery. Not do it.
23:42Rich Eisen:Sounds very good. And so at the end of the day, when you're there on a draft night, what will you be thinking about when you hear your name called at an NFL draft, Caleb Downs?
23:59Ian Rapoport:I mean, it's never been something that I didn't necessarily think was possible. I mean, my family's had a lot of success in terms of playing this sport. So I always thought I could do it. But the emotion that comes out will be honestly very, even just thinking about it right now, I don't know what it is. No kidding, huh? I don't know what it'll be. But it'll be honored and a blessed feeling to be in that situation. Do you plan on being there in Pittsburgh? Do you have that conversation? No, I think me and my family are going to decide in the next couple of days especially after this event. Talk about it and go from there.
24:37Ian Rapoport:Are you doing all the drills? We're working out of Pro Day.
24:40Rich Eisen:Oh, so you're just here for interviews? I'm here to talk to you, man. That's what I'm here to do. Until you found out where I went to school.
24:48Ian Rapoport:Yeah, I mean, somebody should have told me that. Why?
24:51Rich Eisen:I mean, listen, it's okay. It's okay. It's fully okay.
24:55Ian Rapoport:We won this year, so I'm great. I got my gold pants. I'm good. Okay. I'm good. All right. That's okay.
25:01Rich Eisen:I can hear that, too.
25:03Ian Rapoport:Yeah, it's okay.
25:04Rich Eisen:But you're a guest, so I try to be as accommodating as I possibly can.
25:07Ian Rapoport:See, I mean, they try to, I mean, for me, honestly. Who's they? First of all, who's they? Who's they? Everybody. Okay. Everybody. Honestly, like, the game is just a game. So when we play them, it just turns into a regular football game. Can you say their name?
25:23Rich Eisen:Can you say my school's name? Michigan. Okay. See, you're an adult.
25:27Ian Rapoport:I'm a regular, yeah. You're an adult. You're a mature individual. It just doesn't need to be said sometimes. I mean, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Okay.
25:36Rich Eisen:So you did not choose Ohio State because Michigan beat you at Alabama. No, not at all. And you wanted another shot at them. I don't know. That wasn't the reason.
25:46Ian Rapoport:I don't hold no grievances for losses or anything like that. It is what it is after the fact.
25:50Rich Eisen:Okay. And you have your ring, too. Yeah, it is what it is. You got your ring. You've won it all. By the way, three years in a row for the Big Ten. Who's the SEC? Nobody. Very much so. You know what I mean? Like, I understand you're from SEC country. You got that on your resume. You know, I got it.
26:06Ian Rapoport:I understand. Everybody always asks me that. But, I mean, they won the past three years. Can't really say anything else. That's right. You know, and it all started with, you know, one school. Yeah. Michigan, they started off that year. That's right. I mean, that game, they beat us. So, it is what it is.
26:20Rich Eisen:It is what it is. Well, thank you for coming on here, Caleb Downs. I really can't wait to see what you do in the NFL. And I do hope you hear your name as soon as you'd like on draft night. And then at some point, you and I can have a conversation. You'll tell me who you spoke with here. Okay.
26:36Ian Rapoport:We'll go over that. You can, we'll have a conversation after the fact.
26:39Rich Eisen:I look forward to that. That's Caleb Downs right here from The Ohio State University, getting set to ball out in the National Football League. Before we take a break, just want to let everyone know that for small businesses, every hire counts, so does your time. Hiring can quickly become overwhelming, from sorting applications to figuring out who's truly qualified. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro helps. It streamlines the process. You can focus on connecting with the right candidates, not managing the noise. Hire right the first time. Post your first job and get$100 off your job post at linkedin.com slash eisen.
27:11Rich Eisen:That's linkedin.com slash eisen. Terms and conditions apply. Andrew Siciliano will take you the rest of the way. I'm heading off to NFL Network for the on-field drills. We'll chat again shortly.
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29:28Caleb Downs:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. It's the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. As Rich said, he's going to run down the hall and do another television show. My name is Andrew Siciliano. Happy to be here. Hey, buddy. What's up, man? You guys know everyone at home, obviously, Chris Brockman and T.J. Jefferson. We are getting the band back together. We don't have a name yet for this band. And we were messing with, like, the replacements, the replaceables, the... Three times dope. Three times dope. There you go with your old school hip hop. That's totally fine with me.
29:58Ian Rapoport:Okay. You like that? I mean, I was going, you know, we were talking about the Avengers earlier. We can go Guardians of the Galaxy. Am I Groot? I am Groot. I mean, you can be Star Wars since you're sitting in the top chair. I mean, yeah. It's fine with me. But Groot's the smallest of them.
30:11Caleb Downs:Well, Groot is the... He's a tree. Right. I don't know. We're off the rails. already. I just want to say this. It's Disney Plus. Yeah, watch Avengers and all the programming
30:22Ian Rapoport:on Disney Plus. Very well done. When you're done with us.
30:24Caleb Downs:I commend Rich because, look, it is a long walk to Lucas Oil Stadium down the hallway here at the convention center. He was ready. He was prepared. He finished up with Caleb Downs. He stepped over there off camera. He was into a suit. Yeah, real quick. I mean, usually Superman goes into the phone booth and goes from suit to the cape and the costume. Sure. Rich went from the sweater, I believe, and the slacks. Yep. To tie. To tie. Jacket out. He goes off set and bam, like that. Yep. He's into a suit and he's flying down the hall. And now he's going to do about seven hours of TV. Seven hours. Yeah.
31:04Caleb Downs:Fantastic TV.
31:04Ian Rapoport:Talking about defensive linemen and edge rushers. Let's go.
31:07Caleb Downs:All right. So we're here until the end of the show and we're kicking around ideas what to do other than discuss old school hip hop. Hip hop because no one cares about that other than us. And we stumbled upon Mel Kuyper. Not actually Mel, but his most recent mock draft.
31:21Ian Rapoport:That 2.0.
31:22Caleb Downs:I want to make certain and make it clear. We are not here to mock Mel's draft. No, no, no, no, no. We're not mocking drafts.
31:30Ian Rapoport:We're going through Mel's mock. You know, it's like this is Mel's 2.0. I want one every single day. Like tomorrow is 3.0. And Friday is today, Thursday. What's today? Today is Thursday. Saturday, I want four. I want draft mocks every single day until the actual draft starts. You're going to mock people out, though, bro. That's going to be too much mock.
31:48Caleb Downs:No, it's mock draft season. This is what I want. Feed it to me. You do realize that every ESPN.com and every NFL.com editor has pitched that to their draft people? To have it every single day? And all the draft people collectively push back? No, no, no, no, no. I don't want that. That's why you have a lot of NFL.com mock drafts that are pushed out by people in the newsroom that even when we worked in the newsroom, we'd go, well, I don't know this person. Wait, this person has a mock draft online? That's right. Because I would get a call from people in Cleveland or wherever going, hey, can you get me in contact with this person?
32:21Caleb Downs:Because our local sports talk radio show wants to have this person on because I can't believe they had us taking this guy at 24. I'm like, I've worked here for 13 years. I don't know who this person is. But evidently they have a mock draft on NFL.com. I was there five years. No one asked me to do a mock once. That's a shame. Maybe that was a sign.
32:41Caleb Downs:What's that tell you? Anyway, let's do a mock draft. We're not. We're going to look at Mel Kuyper's most recent mock draft. Yeah, let's do it. Mock draft. Do we need to do Fernando Mendoza at one?
32:52Ian Rapoport:No, it feels like that's a foregone conclusion at this point. But Caleb Downs, too. There you go. That's spicy.
32:57Caleb Downs:So let's discuss that. Caleb Downs was just sitting here. I loved his glasses. Yeah. I loved his answers. He kind of looked like Bryce James a little. Did you pick him on that? I can see that. Yeah, right? I also think he is the safest pick in this draft. Jeremiah Love maybe would be the other. But I think Caleb Bounds is by far the safest pick in the history. Why is that? Well, you saw the guy. You heard the guy. He's impressive in all aspects. Now, might he – we might get out of here in Indianapolis and you go, because he's only doing the meetings. Why didn't he do the drills? Is he afraid of the – forget about that.
33:34Caleb Downs:Put on the tape.
33:34Ian Rapoport:I'm with you. It felt like when he was one of those kids, if he could have went in the first round after his freshman year And then after his sophomore year, he would have went in the top 15. But, you know, rules dictate he's got to do the three seasons at Ohio State. And, yeah, now after his third season, he's a top five player. Mel's got him two. You agree. You say safest. I've just talked myself into it. I'm with you. Okay.
33:58Caleb Downs:I don't think there's any way on earth he goes two. Probably not. The Jets need a lot, right? And that's not a slam on him. Right. I just think that at two, you need impact, impact, impact players, and they are going to talk themselves out of a safety, and they're going to go for an edge rusher or an Arvel Reese or whoever.
34:21Rich Eisen:You see people trading, pushing back a little?
34:22Caleb Downs:Maybe you could do that if somebody really wants him, but I also don't think that this is a draft, after being here all week, where anybody truly wants to trade up, and if they do, you're not going to get the price that you would have in years past. No one wants to give up 2027 picks. We talked ad nauseum, and we will for the next eight weeks, that nobody wants to trade out of next year's first round. I like Caleb Downs. I think he's the safest pick. I was having this conversation earlier today, and somebody pushed back and said, maybe they do take him because he is the safest pick, and because, hey, just hit a double.
34:58Caleb Downs:We have five first-round picks over the next two years, so just hit a double. I don't have to hit a home run. So maybe he is the guy. He seems more than a double though, right? Right, but he's safe. But a double is the floor. You know what I mean? Right. Doubles the floor. Okay.
35:15Ian Rapoport:I'm good with that.
35:17Caleb Downs:David Bailey at three. I'm good with that. Arvel Reese or Vel at four. I'm sorry. Bailey at three. Arvel Reese at four. The first tackle doesn't go until five. And then you have Carnell Tate at six. I like Carnell Tate at six. Everyone in Cleveland would love, I'm talking Browns fans and Buckeye fans, would love the weapon. You need people that can score the football, but they badly need offensive line. If Fano and Tate are there, like if your number one wide receiver and your number one O-linemen are both there. That's the Bengals conundrum from a few years ago
35:56Ian Rapoport:where it was Jamar Chase or Penesul.
36:00Caleb Downs:Or if you have two out of three between Fano, Maui Noah, the right tackle from Miami, and Carnell Tate, I honestly don't know what the Browns do. And if you don't know... We're two months away. We're not going to know because you've got boots on the ground, man. You're in the building.
36:19Ian Rapoport:Can you say what it's like there, what people are thinking?
36:23Caleb Downs:I know you can't give too much away. They need an offensive line. They still don't know if Joel Batonio is going to play another season. They have a deadline of March 10th right at the start of the new league year. Free agency is two weeks away for Betonio to decide, and they've given him that time, whether or not he wants to come back and play another season. And if he does, it doesn't take offensive line out of your draft at all because realistically, even if he comes back, you have only three and a half starting positions you need to fill. There's this idea that all five guys are gone. That's not true.
36:56Caleb Downs:You have DeJuan Jones coming back from injury. And he has been a starter for parts of three seasons, but has had trouble staying healthy. So one way or the other, he's going to be your left tackle, more likely your right tackle. The problem with this draft is that the best offensive lineman in this draft, the guys, Fano, Maui Noah, at the top of this draft are right tackles. They're not left tackles. Right. And you have to decide, can I take a guy in Maui Noah and maybe play him at right tackle or right guard? or can I take Fano, who played left tackle early in his career, and flip him back over there?
37:32Caleb Downs:If I don't take my old lineman here, do I like my old lineman at 24? That's when they have to figure out.
37:37Ian Rapoport:That's when you're like, okay, Carnell Tate's there. I know he's a number one wide receiver. Let's just go for it.
37:42Caleb Downs:That could be it, right? Okay, so they're going offense one way or the other. At seven, the commanders have Sonny Stiles. This is Mel Kuyper's mock draft here. Love that name. The linebacker out of Washington. Tom Palacero, who was in this chair earlier today, Tom was on NFL Network this morning and said that Sonny Styles, and I've heard the same thing. No relation to AJ. No relation whatsoever. Thank you. Is that a wrestling reference? Yes. Yeah, you know he does. I have no idea what you're talking about. Fury Styles? It's all good. We got it. Let's keep him moving. He's related to Lorenzo Styles.
38:15Caleb Downs:Oh, there you go. Okay. We're talking football here. Okay. They are related? Yes. Who's AJ Styles? The Phenomenoi, he's a wrestler. Wasn't the greatest of all time. Just retired. I know not of the actors you speak. Andrew has this weird thing with wrestling. We don't get it. Keep going. It was just an aside for TJ. It's a fun show.
38:33Ian Rapoport:I was literally making a joke for one person. And it popped.
38:35Caleb Downs:Sonny Stiles is going to be the talk tomorrow morning. Write it down. Friday morning, your headline will be, Sonny Stiles destroys the combine. And Sonny Stiles is going to go ahead of Caleb Downs. Doesn't mean he's going to be a better football player. but he is going to destroy the combine. This is my two cents and we are two months out. He is going to be that good. So you think he goes in the top five? Yes, I do. He is 6 '5", or maybe he goes in the top six. He's not going to go at six. He's going to go in the top seven. I think he goes ahead of Caleb Downs. He is 6 '5", he's 240 plus, and he is going to run and jump like nobody at his size at linebacker that we have seen in a long, long, long time.
39:25Rich Eisen:So for people watching, Andrew, who would be your Sonny Stiles comp?
39:29Caleb Downs:That's a great question. I don't know what a comp would be for him. He was a safety, and they moved him two years ago up to linebacker. As a sophomore at Ohio State, he's playing at that size. Now, he's put on some weight at safety. He's a freight trainer. He's like Mel Blunt out there. No, thank you. Yeah, he's a nightmare. No, thank you. He's football legacy, Buckeye legacy. He's going to be great. Mekhi Lemon at eight. Mel has Mekhi Lemon at eight. Jeremiah Love at nine. You know what's interesting here? Because we all know the Chiefs need a running back. Jeremiah Love with Patrick Mahomes, I mean, that would be ridiculous.
40:04Ian Rapoport:Yeah, we can't let that happen, Andrew. You know what I mean? That's Brockman's worst nightmare. I think I speak for just about 31 franchises when I say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Jeremiah Love, no, no, no. You can't go to the Chiefs, bro.
40:15Caleb Downs:There are a lot of people that think the Chiefs will be very active in the free agent running back, Mark. So if Brees Hall comes free, they jump on him. If Kenneth Walker gets out the building. He's going to get paid, right? They jump on him. Might have some competition from the Texans for the latter, for Kenneth Walker. But if not, Jeremiah Love to the Chiefs? Oh, baby. Man. They've been shopping in the discount aisle for the last five, six years at running back. If they go out and they get the blue chip back, look out.
40:54Ian Rapoport:Dynasty continues. Yeah, because, I mean, you talk about the Saints being a good spot there with Alvin Kamara's future unknown. Do they jump ahead of New Orleans and go to seven just to ensure that they get him? Is it that type of situation? Or does someone come from the back end, middle, late teens in that first round and jump ahead of Kansas City knowing that everyone thinks that he's a great spot for them. You can see some action here for Jeremiah Love. Absolutely.
41:21Caleb Downs:And after Carnell Tate, is there a wide receiver that you love so much? There are a bunch of 5 '11 wide receivers in this draft. I'm 5 '11. I'm not drafting you top ten. Thank you.
41:35Ian Rapoport:That's kind of my point.
41:36Caleb Downs:How are your hands?
41:37Ian Rapoport:You know, not bad. Okay. Not bad. He was a quarterback, not a receiver.
41:41Caleb Downs:I'm a little older these days, but, you know.
41:43Ian Rapoport:He threw the ball. Oh, you didn't catch it. No, exactly.
41:46Caleb Downs:Continuing with Mel Kuyper's mock draft. Yeah. He has Reuben Bain, and this was two days ago, Reuben Bain at 10 overall.
41:54Ian Rapoport:Yeah, this was before the arm length size reveal today. You down with the short arm kings?
42:01Caleb Downs:It absolutely means something, and people can laugh at it. I'm not tall. I don't have long arms. I'm not mocking anyone's arm size. Reuben Bain can rip my arms off right now. It would be Kevin Nealon in SNL. It's got to be disappointing for the big Russian, and I would be standing there with no arms. But let's give the context here from Matt Miller, ESPN's Matt Miller. At 30 and 7 eighths for Reuben Bain, he would be, he would have the shortest arms for an edge rusher drafted in the first round since at least, in other words, that means as far back as we can go, at least 1999. So you can say it means nothing, and I believe Ruben when he says that nobody brought it up in his meetings.
42:51Caleb Downs:Right. Right? We had him on yesterday. Right. Reweighed as much. Historical context, and I'm here for people breaking molds. Historical context tells you. He'd be the first. He'd be the first. Yeah. Now, is that a Bengals thing to do? That is a Bengals thing to do.
43:09Ian Rapoport:Now, is that you as radio voice of the Cleveland Browns saying that, Andrew?
43:14Caleb Downs:There's some snark there. Okay, great. But remember, last year they did exactly the opposite. They drafted Shamar Stewart out of A &M, who was height, weight, speed, built like a Greek God, with zero production. He had three and a half sacks his entire college career, or the last year, whatever. Right. In two years. He had no production, and they took him. So this would be the exact opposite. This is the amazing production guy with very poor measurables. Doesn't fit the measurables.
43:39Ian Rapoport:But is he the type of guy that you take those measurables and you kind of ball them up and you Kobe them into the trash? Kobe them in? Yeah, you know when you throw in trash, you're like, Kobe!
43:49Caleb Downs:I've never done that, no. Actually, it's a running joke in the Browns radio booth that whenever I turn around during a break to try to throw something, to try to Kobe something, if you will, into the trash. You miss? Oh, it is Brick City. What is this, a Masonry's convention? It is Brick City. And when I do hit one, let's say right before kickoff. That's a good sign. It's a good sign. Yeah.
44:14Ian Rapoport:So from now on, you only hit like two or three shots during the season.
44:18Caleb Downs:There were five. There were five. There were five wins. Come on now. There were five. If it were only two, the Browns would have the number one overall pick.
44:27Ian Rapoport:Right.
44:27Caleb Downs:That was the funny thing about the end of the season. Those two wins at the end, which were very gratifying. Of course. Against division opponents. But you know. Without those two wins. You know what I mean. We'd be having a Mendoza party right now. So in Cleveland, you'll probably yell Elo instead of Kobe. Craig Threelo. You know, just show that. Much like Tom Pellicero here, amazing mullet Craig Threelo had.
44:48Ian Rapoport:But yeah, Andrew, is he the type of guy that you take those measurables and you go, all right, we're going to put those aside. We see what this man can do. Yeah, I've watched this dude play football.
44:54Caleb Downs:I know that he's a game wrecker. I would like to think so. But do you do that at 10? And that is the question. Yeah. It seems special enough. is this draft the draft? Because, and Matt Miller, I had him on my Yahoo show a couple of days ago. Matt Miller said he only had like 11. He has his story at NFL, I'm sorry, ESPN.com. He only has like 11 first round grades. So do you do it here? If he's one of those players you have the first round grade on, sure. Why not? Yeah, okay. I don't think so, but maybe. We're two months out. Maui Noah, Mel has him going 11. Is he a tackle or is he a guard? I don't care.
45:33Caleb Downs:He's good. Delaying the corner from the Cowboys at 12. Gerard McCoy to the Rams at 13. That's the pick they got for James Pierce when they traded out and the Falcons traded up last year. McCoy is not working out. He blew his ACL out early last year. If he had not been hurt, he's probably the number one corner in the draft. The question is, will teams be able to see him work out at Tennessee, at a private workout, and truly see him up close to know if they're cool on the medical after coming back from the ACL? Jordan Tyson, you know who his brother is? Richard Tyson from 3 o 'clock high. That was good.
46:15Caleb Downs:Thank you. His brother plays for the Cavaliers. Oh. You know the other Tyson? Nope. First-round pick from last year? Not a Cats fan. 15 points a game? Really? That's his brother? That's his brother. Okay. You didn't know that? No. Okay. I hadn't even thought about it. Maybe he would go seven. Oh. I don't know. Keep it in the family. And then C.J. Allen, 15. Peter Woods, who's not working out today, at 16. Zion Young, who's hysterical on the podium yesterday. He had people cracking up at 17. Dylan Thienemann at 18. If you go back to Purdue three years ago, they had Tyrone Tracy, Nick Scorton, Dylan Thienemann, and Deion Banks, who could go bottom one, top two.
46:56Caleb Downs:and the team was not good. But they had all that first round, second round talent. Tyron Tracy, I believe, third round. Falk, Mesidor, whatever. You get my point. How many of those do you think are right? That's not anti-Mel. It's just we're two months out. No, no, no.
47:11Ian Rapoport:We still have lots of time. I still can't get enough of this. It gives you a good idea of who you're going to be looking out for, who we're going to see on Thursday and Friday in Pittsburgh this year. I love this time of year when the Mocs come out. So I can't get enough of it. Like I said, every day, new mock, give it to me. I mean, Monday, the mocks are going to look totally different, though, right? Once all this stuff gets done. Yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure.
47:33Caleb Downs:If you had to do a mock, we have five seconds for your favorite NFL Network insider. I give you the first choice. Hold that thought. That's coming up. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast.
47:46Rich Eisen:You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
48:04Caleb Downs:Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces, TGL playoffs are here. First, Atlanta Drive starts their repeat run against Los Angeles Golf Club. Then, Rory's Boston Common Golf and Tiger's Jupiter Lynx face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up. It's playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, March 17th at 6.30 p.m. and 9 p.m. only on ESPN and the ESPN app.
From the publisher
Live from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where Rich and NFL
Insider Ian Rapoport discuss some possible big-name QB getting cut in the coming days including Geno Smith and Kirk Cousins, if the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins could part ways with Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, and breaks down how some rosters could look dramatically different next season via trades and free agency.
Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs tells Rich why he was stunned by Nick
Saban’s retirement and how that turn of events led him to transferring out of Alabama, his prospects for being selected high in the upcoming NFL Draft, the Buckeyes’ bitter rivalry with Michigan, and more.
Andrew Siciliano takes over the hosting reigns and breaks down Mel Kiper Jr’s latest mock draft with Brockman and TJ.
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