Best of The Herd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd38mApril 8, 2026

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AI-Generated Summary

Colin Cowherd's 'Best of The Herd' episode blends sports analysis, draft strategy, and cultural commentary with a strong emphasis on organizational structure in professional sports. The show opens with promotional segments for various iHeartRadio podcasts, including 'Money & Wealth,' 'Eating While Broke,' 'The Away End,' 'Reality With The King,' and 'Dear Chelsea,' highlighting financial literacy, soccer, and reality TV. Cowherd then dives into NFL draft analysis, arguing that the New York Jets should prioritize drafting safe, plug-and-play edge rusher David Bailey at #2 overall rather than high-ceiling but unproven Arvel Reese. He challenges the myth that elite edge rushers win Super Bowls, citing poor playoff records for stars like TJ Watt and Max Crosby, and emphasizes the importance of quarterback, head coach, and left tackle over flashy pass rushers. He contrasts the Jets' chaotic front office with the New York Giants' clear hierarchy under John Harbaugh, who he asserts runs the show despite the GM's title. Cowherd also discusses the NBA draft, praising the rise of intelligent, skill-based players like Yaxel Lendeborg over traditional 'explosive' athletes, and lauds Michigan's national championship run as a triumph of player development and team cohesion. He reflects on the Bulls' front office shake-up, defending coach Billy Donovan's value despite organizational missteps, and celebrates the team's success as a model of process over power plays. The episode closes with a nod to the upcoming draft and the Giants' potential playoff berth, reinforcing Cowherd's belief in stability, smart decision-making, and long-term planning over risky gambles.

Key Takeaways
1

Prioritize safe, plug-and-play players over high-ceiling risks in the NFL draft, especially at critical positions like edge rusher.

2

Super Bowl success hinges more on quarterback, head coach, and left tackle than on elite pass rushers.

3

Organizational hierarchy matters: in the Giants, the head coach (Harbaugh) holds real power, not the GM.

4

The modern NBA values IQ, shooting, and scheme fit over raw athleticism and 'explosiveness'.

5

Player development and team cohesion—like Michigan's championship run—can outperform star power and hype.

…and 2 more takeaways available in PodZeus

Chapters
0:00
3 min

Podcast Promos & Intro

The episode opens with promotional segments for multiple iHeartRadio podcasts including 'Money & Wealth,' 'Eating While Broke,' 'The Away End,' 'Reality With The King,' and 'Dear Chelsea,' highlighting financial literacy, soccer, and reality TV content.

2:50
7 min

NFL Draft: Jets & the Edge Rusher Debate

You can win Super Bowls without a great edge rusher. It's nice to have a nice situational pass rush, but how many great pass rushers did Belichick and Brady have? I mean, top of the food chain, Miles Garrett. No, they just got pressure situationally on the opposing quarterbacks.

Highlight
10:00
10 min

Giants' Power Structure & Harbaugh's Authority

The head coach ran it. But remember Harbaugh, the Jets were such a mess. Tennessee wanted John Harbaugh, and they were going to give him a lot of power. But he wanted the Giants, and he said, well, then I want to get power. So John Harbaugh took the Giants job, and it's kind of understood in the building that Joe Shane is a highly compensated, very powerful scout, and Harbaugh's running the show.

Highlight
20:00
10 min

NBA Draft & the Rise of the Smart Player

I don't think of SGA, Jokic, and Luka as explosive. I like smart guys to get up the floor. Do you think he transitions to the NBA? And if so, why? I do, Colin. I think you're ahead of the game with that evaluation. The processing power is his strength.

Highlight
30:00
10 min

Michigan's Championship & Player Development

I said so is Michigan all time? I said I don't know but they remind me of an 80s and 90s team. You took a freshman, you took a couple of guys who were on the team before you got there that weren't great, a couple of transfers. Really, the player for me, Adai Mara is the one I look at and I go, man, I never saw that coming.

Highlight
High-Impact Quotes
The head coach ran it. But remember Harbaugh, the Jets were such a mess. Tennessee wanted John Harbaugh, and they were going to give him a lot of power. But he wanted the Giants, and he said, well, then I want to get power. So John Harbaugh took the Giants job, and it's kind of understood in the building that Joe Shane is a highly compensated, very powerful scout, and Harbaugh's running the show.
Colin Cowherd10:48
Viral: 90.0
You can win Super Bowls without a great edge rusher. It's nice to have a nice situational pass rush, but how many great pass rushers did Belichick and Brady have? I mean, top of the food chain, Miles Garrett. No, they just got pressure situationally on the opposing quarterbacks.
Colin Cowherd5:27
Viral: 85.0
If you took a company over, let's say you bought a small company and you interviewed. It was a small company, 12 people. And you didn't love the CEO. So you can the CEO, but you love two of the vice presidents. Do I got to flush them out? What if you're like, yeah, the CEO is the problem. The GM was the problem. The vice president of marketing, the vice president of distribution are great. But in the end, they were vice presidents. They didn't run basketball ops or GM.
Colin Cowherd31:40
Viral: 82.0
Speakers

Host

Colin Cowherd

Guests

Dusty MayDane Brugler
Topics Discussed
NFL Draft Strategy90%Sports Organizational Hierarchy85%NBA Draft & Player Development80%Financial Literacy & Wealth Building75%College Basketball Championship70%Team Culture & Cohesion65%Athleticism vs IQ in Sports60%Sports Media & Podcast Promotion55%
People & Brands

iHeartRadio

organization

15xNeutral

Colin Cowherd

person

15xNeutral

New York Giants

other

14xPositive

John Harbaugh

person

12xPositive

New York Jets

other

12xNegative

Michigan Wolverines

other

10xPositive

David Bailey

person

8xPositive

Billy Donovan

person

8xPositive

Fox Sports Radio

organization

8xPositive

Dusty May

person

7xPositive

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