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Of course it’s way too early to rank teams’ draft performances. It will take at least a couple of years for this to sift out. But, heck, it’s fun. So here’s my Top Ten on the Morning After.

  1. Jets
  2. Texans
  3. Jags
  4. Giants
  5. Eagles
  6. Lions
  7. Packers
  8. Falcons
  9. Ravens
  10. Vikings

Nick Foles is back on the street after the Bears agreed to release him. His phone may not ring today. But it will ring.

With apologies to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh leads the NFL in brotherly love. There are currently seven sets of brothers on NFL teams. Four of those pairs now play for the Steelers. Pittsburgh selected former Michigan State tight end Connor Heyward in the sixth round on Saturday. Connor will join big brother Cam in wearing the black and gold. They join T.J. and Derek Watt, Terrell and Trey Edmunds, and Carlos and Khalil Davis as brother acts in Pittsburgh. The Heywards are the sons of the late Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

Cornerback Troy Hill picked a bad season to leave the Rams, missing out on a Super Bowl championship. But after a one-year hiatus with the Browns, Hill is back in L.A. after the Rams reacquired him in a Saturday trade that sent a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Browns. Prior to that brief stop in Cleveland, Hill spent five seasons with the Rams.

North Carolina QB Sam Howell slid all the way to the fifth round before the Washington Commanders broke his fall. Sometimes where you go is more important than when you go. I think Howell will have an opportunity in Washington.

Yeah, I was a little surprised the Patriots took former Western Kentucky QB Bailey Zappe in the fourth round. I’m guessing Mac Jones was even more surprised.

You know why Georgia beat Alabama in the CFP Championship Game? Because the Bulldogs had better players than did the Tide, and more of them. It really was that simple. You scoff? Georgia just had 15 players drafted, the most by one team in college football history.

While I realized it is used facetiously, I really don’t like the title “Mr. Irrelevant,” given annually to the player selected last in the NFL Draft. The 49ers didn’t think former Iowa State QB Brock Purdy was irrelevant. Brock Purdy is a good football player. He’s an NFL draft choice.

Clayton Kershaw is now the Dodgers’ all-time franchise career leader in regular season strikeouts. And that franchise has had some decent pitchers, wouldn’t you say?

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.