Joining me right now is Merrill Hodge.

Merrill, of course, in the NFL for many years back in the 80s and 90s as a running back,

primarily with the Steelers.

Merrill on ESPN's lit you know, litany of NFL shows for

years. And in recent years, Merrill Hodge has been a bit of a guru when it comes to evaluating

draft prospects, quarterbacks, in particular. And actually, that's where I want to start

with you. I didn't reach out to you

before the draft this year because we didn't need a quarterback for the first time in a while.

You were super high on Jaden Daniels last year. You loved everything about him heading into the draft.

What did you make of his rookie season?

Well, I thought it was extraordinary.

You know, the team played well, too.

You know, you can't take anything away from, you know, all aspects of the team.

Teams win championships, you know.

There's no quarterback that's ever one-one.

There's no running backs, every one one, no defense ever won, one.

You know, teams win them.

And that's the bottom line, period. Now your quarterback makes a big deal from not minimizing

the role. I think you guys saw when you have a consistent player there and a guy who's somewhat

magical in a lot of ways, you know, he can do a lot to help you and elevate your team.

And you need to put that on display, you know.

You're just more evidence of, you know, the things that you have.

...