NFL Draft Combine, Mendoza A Lock To Raiders At #1, Eagles Drama, Chiefs Rebuild?
The Colin Cowherd Podcast
iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
4.4 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 26 February 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out”.
They start with the NFL Draft Combine & discuss the behind the scenes wheeling & dealing nature of the coaches and executives at the combine, and John’s experience speaking with legendary Seahawks GM John Schneider and what the defending champs will do with Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker (3:00).
They move to the Chiefs and GM Brett Veach and the challenge of fixing the offensive line for Patrick Mahomes and discuss how much of a true “rebuild” the Chiefs need after missing the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era (5:45).
They debate whether there’s a market for Kyler Murray to have a second act and what teams may be interested (9:45), and what positions the Bears will look to solidify in the draft (13:30).
They pivot to the Eagles & discuss the rumors that Jalen Hurts isn’t particularly well liked in the locker room and John offers than despite noise on the outside… AJ Brown is very positively viewed by his teammates (24:00).
They look ahead to the draft and Colin argues that the Cardinals should offer 3 first round picks to move up from #3 to #1 to draft Fernando Mendoza and John says that based on the combine chatter… Mendoza is a lock to the Raiders at #1 (28:30).
They discuss why the made-for TV nature of the combine has made top prospects not want to participate and why the current combine process is probably on its last legs (34:30).
Finally, Colin asks John about the most tasty rumors he heard at the combine and John offers up that it’s 50/50 that Giants GM Joe Schoen survives beyond the draft with John Harbaugh now there, and the surprised reaction to Sean Payton giving up play calling duties in Denver (37:30).
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:05.4 | The volume. |
| 0:11.6 | All right. |
| 0:16.3 | I thought I'd bring in former NFL scout, John Middlkoff, three and out, who spent a couple of days at the combine. |
| 0:22.6 | And it's real dealmaking. |
| 0:26.6 | For the three days, people are in, the executives are in Indianapolis. |
| 0:31.7 | It is a lot of late nights. |
| 0:34.2 | John, can you confirm that it's late nights and early mornings? |
| 0:38.0 | Yeah, it was a lot, Colin. These guys are letting it rip. You know, in fairness, it's not a normal |
| 0:45.9 | life they lead, especially the coaches, the six months. You get to the combine, which by all |
| 0:51.4 | accounts is tamed down dramatically from where it was, I think, three cell phones. |
| 0:56.1 | It's nothing too crazy, but I mean, it's an event unlike, I mean, you have every NFL head coach out to dinner, out to cocktails, out with each other, every GM, every assistant GM. |
| 1:08.8 | Think about all the coordinators now that used to be head coaches that are pretty famous walking around. |
| 1:14.7 | Indianapolis isn't exactly London. |
| 1:17.1 | I mean, there's not that many places to go. |
| 1:19.4 | So safe to say the JW Marriott is ripping every night. |
| 1:25.7 | So I had to get out of there, Colin, because I couldn't last more than |
| 1:28.4 | 48 hours. Let's talk first, John Snyder. I saw you sat down with him, the Seattle GM. |
| 1:35.7 | I think he's being now fairly regarded as maybe the best drafting GM in the league. There's a lot |
| 1:41.6 | of different skills. There's free agency, there's trading. |
| 1:44.4 | Howie Rosen is probably the most aggressive. I don't think you can deny that John Snyder's the |
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