FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 20th, 2020

CHASE YOUNG ON THE 2020 NFL DRAFT; QB GURU JORDAN PALMER ON JOE BURROW & JORDAN LOVE — QUOTES FROM TODAY’S EPISODES OF LUNCH TALK LIVE WITH MIKE TIRICO AND THE RICH EISEN SHOW ON NBCSN

“It’s definitely different, but it’s a feeling I can’t put into words. I have worked for this my entire life.” – Chase Young on this week’s NFL Draft

“He’s stepping into the league and feels like he can win with anybody.” – Jordan Palmer on Joe Burrow potentially playing for the Bengals

 “If you have been working for three years to find your generation’s Dan Marino and you have six picks in the Top 70, it’s a small price to pay to ensure that you would get your guy.” – Peter King on having Miami trading up to No. 3 in his mock draft

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 20, 2020 – Mike Tirico hosted today’s episode of Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN and was joined remotely by:

    • Top NFL Draft prospect and Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young
    • Baltimore Ravens RB Mark Ingram (a first-round draft pick in 2011)
    • Former NFL QB Randall Cunningham (a second-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985) and Olympic high jumper Vashti Cunningham (Randall’s daughter)
    • University of Florida football coach Dan Mullen
    • NBC Sports’ Peter King

 

The Rich Eisen Show followed Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN, as host Rich Eisen was joined by:

    • Quarterback coach and former NFL QB Jordan Palmer (a sixth-round draft pick in 2007 and brother of 2003 No. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer)
    • Three-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls J. Armstrong
    • Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio

 

Following are highlights from Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN:

Chase Young on how he feels about the upcoming NFL Draft: “It’s definitely different, but it’s a feeling I can’t put into words. I have worked for this my entire life…I’ll have to wait until my name is called to see what that feeling will be like.”

Young on whether he grew up as a Redskins fan: “I was a fan of players and didn’t have a particular team. When I was growing up and the Redskins were playing, I liked Clinton Portis, Sean Taylor, and Santana Moss.”

Young on former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer: “Coach Meyer was one of the guys that always pushed me to play like I played this year. It feels good to achieve all of those things that he wanted me to be.”

Young on his former Ohio St. teammate Joe Burrow’s current success: “When Joe left for LSU, we expected Joe to be great. The way Joe works is unmatched. He’s a fierce competitor as we’ve seen this past season…and will continue that on the next level.”

Mark Ingram on the emotions leading into the NFL Draft: “It’s definitely an anxious time. You want to be a high pick. Just be in the moment and enjoy your family…We are fortunate to continue our careers in the NFL.”

Ingram on his connection with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson: “He’s a genuine person and has the desire to be great, win championships, and be the best…all things we have in common. He’s a humble guy that doesn’t think he’s better than anyone else.”

Ingram on Ravens’ playoff loss to the #6 seed Titans: “It’s difficult to be able to have the season and success we had and go in the first round and not be able to take advantage of the opportunity. It’s Super Bowl or bust and we lost in the first round.”

Dan Mullen on Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson: “When you look at his skill set, he has unbelievable speed, but when you get to know him, he is a really quiet kid…He’s a competitor on the field, a hard worker, and will make a great NFL cornerback.”

Mullen on why today’s college receivers are more prepared to jump into the NFL and make an impact: “I think with the pass offense that has gone down to the high school level, you see guys get more polished in a passing offense earlier in their career. We have a rich NFL Draft this year with talent, but it’s about the players maximizing their talents.”

Mullen on connecting with players during quarantine and preparing them for the upcoming season: “We have an established program and the guys understand what the expectations are. Our strength staff sends out workouts for them to do each week and we just started virtual position meetings with our Spring installations. One of the things we talk about is to worry about what we can control.”

Peter King on his NFL Mock Draft: “Basically, it’s a dart throw. Last year, I got nine players matched to their team in the first round of my draft. It was the best I ever done and was incredibly proud of that. If I got four or five this year, I would be absolutely thrilled.”

King on having Miami trading up to select  Oregon QB Justin Herbert at No. 3 in his mock draft: “The reason I made the trade was because if you have been working for three years to find your generation’s Dan Marino and you have six picks in the Top 70, it’s a small price to pay to ensure that you would get your guy, if indeed Justin Herbert is the guy.”

King on a successful NFL Draft for the Lions: “If you could get the best guard in the draft and a top three or four running back and still get (Ohio St. CB Jeff) Okudah. I would be okay with that if I was (Lions GM) Bob Quinn.”

King on an NFL individual he would like to see a 10-part documentary about: “What I would want is Vince Lombardi. His last game as the assistant coach of the New York Giants is the greatest game ever played. He goes on to Green Bay where he forms the biggest dynasty of all-time and was involved in the NFL as it became giant.”

Vashti Cunningham on dealing with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponement: “I definitely thought it was a possibility that the Olympics would get postponed… Hearing and reading that the Olympics moved to next year, it was very weird to hear.”

Vashti Cunningham on her training: “We train a little different than the typical high jumper. We lift about five days of the week and a couple weeks out of the month, we jump on a Tuesday. It’s about the consistency and strength in our body and maintaining everything we have been pushing our body to.”

Vashti Cunningham on separating the different roles her father, Randall Cunningham, plays in her life: “When I first signed professionally in track and field, it was hard to separate it all…It has allowed me to mature and understand everything he is saying and why he is saying it…It’s definitely been something in the works and I am happy with the balance we have right now.”

Randall Cunningham on the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: “Mixed emotions. On the one hand, we are prepared and ready to go…Vashti is ready. On the other hand, my son Randall (Cunningham II) is coming back and it gives him more time to heal and start jumping again.”

Randall Cunningham on his high jump background: “It was a lot different back then… I finished up in 1981, jumping at 6’10.” I don’t compare to my kids. I was okay. I wouldn’t have gotten a college scholarship for track and field.”

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Mike Florio on possibility of Bengals trading out of the No. 1 pick: “If anybody trades up, it’s going to be the Dolphins…If they’re doing that behind the scenes, they’re not going to tell us that. It looks the same from our perspective.”

Florio on reports that the Giants spoke with Oregon QB Justin Herbert: “The more the Giants know about Herbert, the better suited they’re going to be to negotiate (a trade) in a meaningful way. Because you are trading that player to the Chargers or the Panthers, you’re not trading that pick.”

Florio on Leonard Fournette trade rumors: “It’s definitely real…The Jaguars have come to the conclusion that from a culture standpoint, they’re trying to move on with guys who are going to fit better with what they’re trying to do.”

Jordan Palmer on his first impression of Joe Burrow in 2018: “Joe was putting the ball on the money. (LSU) led the NCAA in dropped passes in 2018, so there was more there than met the eye…So I invited him out to one of my summer camps…No one knew who the Burrow kid was and that was just in July.”

Palmer on if Burrow is all-in if he gets selected by the Bengals: “He’s a guy who, from a confidence standpoint, feels like if he’s on the team, that they have a chance because they have him. That totally may sound cocky…but that is the difference here between dudes that play in the league and the ones that hold trophies…He’s stepping into the league and feels like he can win with anybody.”

Palmer on Jordan Love and Patrick Mahomes: “If I were to compare Patrick at this point and Jordan at this point, there are a lot of similarities.”

B.J. Armstrong on “The Last Dance” and why the Bulls broke up: “When you play and you win…when it ends, it always ends bad…You can look now at the Patriots with Brady…It’s never a right time, it’s never a wrong time but you know it’s going to end.”

Armstrong on Michael Jordan: “He was a basketball player, but he also understood the business to such a degree that it allowed him to achieve success beyond anyone’s wildest imagination because at the time, no one was building teams around a 6’6” two-guard. That was a challenge in and of itself.”

–NBC SPORTS–