About this episode

Colin Cowherd and John Middlekauff analyze the NFL Draft, discussing team strategies and player selections.

Colin is  joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the NFL Draft. Colin begins by arguing that GM Brett Veach of the Chiefs drafts predictably & he can’t figure out 49ers GM John Lynch, and John explains that Lynch doesn’t run the 49ers draft… head coach Kyle Shanahan does (3:00). They discuss the backlash to the  Bears taking speedster Zayvian Johnson and Colin explains that if any coach picked him, it may not be a great pick…but with Ben Johnson as coach it can work (9:00).  They move to the Rams & Colin argues that while their draft won’t grade well… outside of Ty Simpson, the Rams are drafting for the near term while they still have Matt Stafford and John believes Simpson wasn’t talented enough to justify the 13th pick (15:00). Colin believes the Raiders crushed the draft and Fernando Mendoza could change the trajectory of the franchise (25:00), and they discuss the impact of NIL creating less seasoned, older prospects with multiple years of high-end college football experience in the later rounds (28:30).  They break down the Chiefs draft and why it made total sense for…

People in this episode

Host: Colin Cowherd

Guest: John Middlekauff

Topics covered

• NFL Draft Analysis
• Team Reactions
• Player Evaluations
• Draft Strategies
• College Football Impact

Keywords

• NFL Draft
• Colin Cowherd
• John Middlekauff
• team analysis
• player evaluation
• Bears
• Chiefs
• Raiders
• Cowboys

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chiefs, 49ers, Rams, Raiders, NIL, Cowboys, Cardinals

More episodes of The Colin Cowherd Podcast

• J.A. Adande On Steelers + Dodgers Dynasties, The Myth Of Michael Jordan, NIL, LIV Golf Crashes Out · April 29, 2026 · 42 min
• Prime Cuts - NFL Draft Breakdown, Can The NBA Fix Tanking? Did Rams Reach For Ty Simpson? · April 25, 2026 · 33 min
• NFL Draft Reaction: Rams-Ty Simpson, Cowboys-Caleb Downs, Giants & Jets Smart · April 24, 2026 · 1h 35m
• Giants DEAL Dexter Lawrence, Lakers Steal Game 1 Without Luka, Celtics A GREAT Organization, Nuggets Can Win It All · April 19, 2026 · 57 min
• Rory REPEATS At The Masters, A Tradition Like No Other, Vrabel/Russini Controversy, NFL Draft Preview · April 12, 2026 · 42 min
• Prime Cuts - Rory McIlroy Stories, The Masters, Lakers Are COOKED, Jokic vs. Wemby · April 11, 2026 · 31 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Colin Cowherd Podcast podcast page.