The Rich Eisen Show

Bleacher Report’s Lead NFL Draft Analyst Connor Rodgers and guest host Ryan Leaf discuss who will go 1st overall and why Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux has fallen down some draft boards following another stellar season, how early or late we’ll see the first QB and WR come off the board, if the 49ers will find a trade partner (possibly the Jets?) for disgruntled WR Deebo Samuel and if we’re seeing a sea change in how NFL teams value/devalue the wide receiver position.

Ryan recounts the wild adventure that was his NFL Draft experience back in 1998 when he was chosen 2nd overall by the Chargers behind Peyton Manning. 

Ryan weighs in on the Deebo Samuels-49ers situation and explains why the All-Pro WR might be playing with fire with his trade request.

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Guest host Ryan Leaf sets the table for this week’s NFL Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada and recounts a great story about the time he and Chargers teammate Rodney Harrison made a quick trip to Sin City during his rookie season. 

Sports Illustrated Senior NBA Writer Howard Beck and Ryan discuss Ja Morant’s jaw-dropping finish to rally the Memphis Grizzlies to a comeback win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their 1st Round NBA Playoffs matchup, says why he’s predicting the Suns vs Pelicans series will be decided by a Game 7, if the 76ers are in deep trouble against the Raptors with an injured Joel Embiid and an underperforming James Harden, if the Bulls swoon can be blamed on a slew of injuries of if other things were at play, and explains why the Golden State Warriors could very well win the NBA title this season. 

Ryan, 76ers fan TJ Jefferson and Brockman debate if the Sixers could actually blow their 3-0 series lead to the Toronto Raptors.

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‘Good Morning Football’ co-host Kyle Brandt tells Rich why he’s looking forward to the “mystery and chaos” of this year’s NFL Draft, why Deebo Samuel went public with his beef with the 49ers, why Bears QB Justin Fields could be in for another long season in Chicago, how the Bills signing Von Miller could be the NFL off-season move that pays the most dividends, and reveals why he’s nervous about announcing Buffalo’s 3rd Round draft selection in Las Vegas this weekend.  

Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson tells Rich how he went from a middling high school quarterback to possibly becoming the first receiver chosen in the NFL Draft, and shows that, as a proud Buckeyes alum, he refuses to say the name of “the team up north” even if drafted by the Detroit Lions.

Rich debates if the New York Giants would be wise to use one of their two top-10 draft picks on a wide receiver, and explains why what the Carolina Panthers do with the #6 pick could be the linchpin for how the rest of the 1st round unfolds.

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Rich and the guys re-visit the Nets disappointing season and debate of the Golden State Warriors should send some young talent to Brooklyn to bring Kevin Durant back in the fold.

Notre Dame All-American Safety Kyle Hamilton tells Rich about his journey from being born in Greece, to growing up in Atlanta, to playing in South Bend, to the doorstep of the NFL and more.

Rich answers a tough question from a caller: should the Jets select Sauce Gardner or Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson at #4 if that scenario comes up on Thursday night.

76ers fan TJ and Rich discuss Joel Embiid’s thumb injury and wonder if James Harden’s lack of conditioning is finally catching up with him now that the Sixers need him to step up and pick up the slack, and react to a recent Jay Wright interview where the newly-retired former Villanova head coach left the door open on a return to coaching.

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 Rich recaps Celtics’ sweep of the Nets in their first round series and says why Boston and Brooklyn are heading in opposite directions, and rails on Kyrie Irving for derailing the Nets’ once-promising season by his anti-vaccination stance.

Cincinnati Bearcats All-American CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner tells Rich why he’s not lacking for confidence in the least, reveals the origins of his “Sauce” nickname, and says how he’d chance the Jets culture of losing if New York were to select him at #4 in the NFL Draft.

Rich makes the case for the Jets to draft Sauce Gardner with the 4th overall pick in the draft saying his play on the field and presence in the locker room is just what New York needs to reverse their fortunes.

Rich weighs in on the lates developments in the Deebo Samuel-49ers standoff with Niners GM John Lynch saying he doesn’t see a scenario where the team trades the All-Pro WR.

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Penn State Head Football Coach James Franklin tells Rich why Nittany Lion WR Jahan Dotson is the best receiver he’s ever coached, why he’s not surprised by Micah Parson’s early success in the NFL, why he’s expecting Saquon Barkley to thrive in new Giants Head Coach Brian Dabol’s offense, and why he’s predicting “significant changes” in college football over the next 5 years including a possible expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams. 

Actor Patrick Fabian joins Rich in-studio to discuss the new (and final) season of the acclaimed AMC ‘Breaking Bad’ spinoff ‘Better Call Saul,’ and gets the approval from TJ to go ahead and root for the Los Angeles Rams even though he grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. 

Rich and the guys react to the hilarious moment last night when Cowboys LB Micah Parsons dropped the ceremonial puck at a minor league hockey game last night when clearly no one told him how to drop the ceremonial puck.

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Ohio State WR Chris Olave tells Rich about his pre-draft experience and expectations and reflects on the passing of former Buckeye QB Dwayne Haskins. 

Rich weighs in on yet another controversial game in MLB due to Angel Hernandez calling balls and strikes behind the plate that led to an EPIC meltdown by Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

‘Good Morning Football’ co-host/FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager tells Rich why it’s a total crapshoot who goes #1 overall in the NFL Draft, why he thinks Deebo Samuel and the 49ers can work out their issues to keep the All-Pro WR in San Francisco, and says why the outlook is “bleak” for QBs hoping to be drafted high this week and for the possibility of Baker Mayfield being a starting QB next season. 

Rich weighs in on Baker Mayfield’s limited options for 2022 and says why the NFL Draft could shrink those options even more.

In his ‘Overreaction Monday’ segment Rich comments on the NBA Playoffs and says if Celtics F Jayson Tatum has surpassed Kevin Durant on the NBA superstar ladder, if we’ll see Deebo Samuel traded before the NFL Draft, if Roger Goodell will be announcing a flurry of trades in the draft’s top ten, and more!

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Rich recaps the big weekend in the NBA and weighs in on the disappointing no-show of Ben Simmons after we were expecting his long-awaited season debut for the Brooklyn Nets.

Rich unveils his 2022 ‘Come @ Me!!’ Mock Draft predicting the top 10 picks of this week’s NFL Draft.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah tells Rich why he doesn’t see any quarterbacks getting drafted in until the 20th pick in this week’s NFL Draft, why the 49ers could actually trade disgruntled WR Deebo Samuel before the draft, and explains why the Jaguars might surprise everyone and select NC State OT Ickey Ekwonu first overall.

Jets fan Rich explains why New York would be wise to offer up the #10 overall pick in the NFL Draft to the 49ers for Deebo.

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Alabama All-American OT Evan Neal tells Rich how he’s prepping for next week’s NFL Draft and how he managed to (for the most part) stay on Nick Saban’s good side during his time in Tuscaloosa.  

Academy Award-nominated actor Liam Neeson and Rich discuss his new thriller “Memory,” reveals that he loves slapstick comedies but HATES American football and baseball with a passion, and says how he lost out on Andre the Giant’s ‘Fezik’ role in ‘The Princess Bride’ and if he ever considered portraying 007 James Bond in a round of ‘Celebrity True or False.’

Rich says what the Browns’ GM’s latest comments on Baker Mayfield bode for the team’s ability to trade the QB, and reacts to Tom Brady’s restructured contract and his possible future with the Miami Dolphins. 

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QB coach/guru Jordan Palmer tells Rich how the Transfer Portal is turning College Football recruiting into “the wild, wild west,” how Cincinnati Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder compares to Dak Prescott when he was coming out of Mississippi State, how Josh Allen proved his doubters wrong and erased all the negative pre-draft criticism of his skill set, and what improvement we can expect out of Bengals QB Joe Burrow in his 3rd season in the NFL. 

Rich and Brockman marvel at the high level of play in the NFL and NBA and wonder which league is more top-heavy with future Hall of Famers. 

In his weekly ‘What’s More Likely’ segment Rich says if the Nuggets or Raptors are more likely to avoid a sweep in their 1st Round NBA Playoff series, if the Bucks vs Bulls or the Suns vs Pelicans series will go 7 games, if the Celts win their next two on the road or of the Hawks win two straight at home, if the Jazz or Timberwolves are more likely to win their series after being down 2-1 in their series, if DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel or AJ Brown will be traded before the NFL Draft next week, and if a team trades up to draft a QB in the top 6 or we have another draft day stunner like Aaron Rodgers last year. 

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