Ross Rant: 2023 NFL Mock Draft | First Round

"This is the inside scoop on the private conversations between General Managers and potential first-round draft picks"

1. Carolina Panthers: "At least the taxes are low in the Carolinas."

2. Houston Texans: "Houston is home to more Fortune 500 company headquarters than anywhere in America except New York City. So, you'll probably end up on a corporate board when it's all said and done."

3. Tennessee Titans: "Not that you'll be around to enjoy it, but Nashville's Metro Council just passed a $2.1 billion proposal to build a new domed stadium slated to open in time for the 2027 season."

4. Indianapolis Colts: "For sure. We'll get you on the Pat McAfee Show."

5. Seattle Seahawks: "'I just happened to be nowhere near your neighborhood.' It is from Singles. Do you know the movie?"

6. Detroit Lions: "If we had more players and staff gambling on sports, we probably would have made the playoffs."

7. Las Vegas Raiders: "Yes, we can get you and your 20-person entourage paddock passes to the F1 race."

8. Atlanta Falcons: "Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is the world's busiest!"

9. Chicago Bears: "Don’t worry, kid. If you ever need a snack, just put it on my tab at the Billy Goat Tavern."

10. Philadelphia Eagles: "Hide not your talents, they for use were made, what's a sundial in the shade?"

11. Arizona Cardinals: "Help me help you."

12. Houston Texans: "A kid's nursery school next to a nuclear power plant? Yeah, it's true. The City of Houston does not have zoning."

13. Green Bay Packers: "Aaron Rodgers, never heard of him."

14. New England Patriots: "Pro-tip, only Bill is allowed to customize his sweatshirts."

15. New York Jets: "Have you heard we won Super Bowl III?"

16. Washington Commanders: "More people in this town read Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World than attend our games."

17. Pittsburgh Steelers: "The bottle is back: The Kraft Heinz ketchup bottle returns to Acrisure Stadium!"

18. Detroit Lions: "Word on the street, it is Joe Louis Southern Kitchen for breakfast. Named for the famous Detroit boxer, this restaurant by his namesake serves all-day brunch seven days."

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "Champa Bay."

20. Seattle Seahawks: "'We're huge in Europe right now. I mean, we've got records... uh, a big record just broke in Belgium.' It is from Singles. Do you know the movie?"

21. Los Angeles Chargers: "We are the LA Galaxy of professional football."

22. Minnesota Vikings: "Snow in April? Cool right? And it's only 200 more days to winter."

23. Baltimore Ravens: "'This is why you are so nervous all the time. You have like chunks of roast beef in your heart!' It is from Diner. Do you know the movie?"

24. Jacksonville Jaguars: "You're going to love London."

25. New York Giants: "We don't have cheerleaders. We don't have a mascot. We play football."

26. Dallas Cowboys: "No, no, no. Jerry isn't a meddler."

27. Buffalo Bills: "So, yeah. The folding table thing started around 2015. A video of a drunk fan jumping on and smashing a folding table went viral. Now it's become a thing to do at tailgates."

28. Cincinnati Bengals: "Honestly, FC Cincinnati is probably the best football team in Cincinnati right now."

29. New Orleans Saints: "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland."

30. Philadelphia Eagles: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

31: Kansas City Chiefs: "Yes. Andy Reid will do a national commercial spot with you."

-Marc

PS: Go Detroit Lions!

Podcast | How do you feel today?

Wonderful to speak with Gareth Dauncey on his podcast.

Gareth is one of my heroes.

He's an architect, cold-water adventure swimmer, and entrepreneur.

He recently launched Mood, a simple one-tap-a-day check-in app where you can see the big picture and take charge of your mental fitness.

On this pod, we chatted about the power of discipline over motivation and using aspirational role models to give us the power to push forward.

Take a listen on Spotify here.

Episode overview:

Marc is an entrepreneur and professional communicator who specializes in the worlds of global business and politics. Listen in as Marc tells me about:

- an upcoming birthday and 20 years of marriage

- choosing discipline over motivation

- noticing when things aren’t right

- asking would Kelly Slater do this?

- being exposed to unfamiliar things

- choosing to use tools for good

- mental and physical fitness

- enjoying the ride and planning accordingly

- embracing the advice you give others

How do you feel today? is a series of...

Conversations between 2 friends.

Conversations that you're invited to overhear.

Conversations that might touch on things you’re going through and could make life a little easier if they do.

What Stephen said on CNBC

Let's do an interview analysis.

On April 5, Stephen Roach, a former Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman and current senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, joined CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders to give his insights on the current state of US-China relations.

First, watch the interview.

Here are three takeaways from this interview:

One: Let's discuss the format.

CNBC means "consumer news and business channel."

CNBC's target viewers are considered "power brokers," well-educated, affluent, predominantly white, and male.

According to Erdos and Morgan Custom, a CNBC viewer can be a C-Suite executive or government relations professional in a Fortune 1,000 company who is financially responsible in a corporation or area of government, respectively.

Unlike Bloomberg with its Upper East Side Manhattan vibe, CNBC is more Nassau County, NY, and Morris County, NJ, meaning it is more accessible with less stuffy financial analysis.

So Roach taking the interview makes sense - an ideal audience, and her delivery is a good fit for the CNBC universe.

Two: Looking at the screen and not the camera.

When doing a remote interview utilizing one's computer equipment, it is paramount to remember to talk to the camera and not the face on your computer monitor or screen.

Not only is failure to speak to the camera a sub-par experience for the TV audience viewer, but you ultimately broadcast your head rather than your face.

Your face is an important form of non-verbal communication and a prime source of information you intend to broadcast.

Check out the screenshot below.

From the start, Roach fails and never speaks to the camera throughout the interview.

Roach needs improvement.

I give the good professor here a gentleman's incomplete.

Three: Dropping knowledge but not making it stick.

To close the interview, Lee asks Roach if US companies should prepare for retaliation risks due to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) meeting with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

Roach's response is factual and plausible, but it is delivered in a meandering fashion over 60 seconds and concludes with "I have no idea."

"I have no idea," what?

The whole point of Roach being on the program is to provide his ideas.

When confronted with a situation where you genuinely don't know what will happen - predicting the future is impossible - deliver to the audience specific risks they should be watching and patterns as an expert you are seeing.

For example, a better response from Roach would have been: "I can't predict precisely if China will retaliate, but here are three things your audience should be mindful of. [LIST THEM ONE, TWO, THREE.]"

It is important to remember that when you are booked on a news program, the producer, the host, and the audience expect you to have an idea, even if it is impossible.

Overall, Roach is well-informed, knowledgeable, and obviously competent on US-China relations. However, his remote interview needs a refresh; he would benefit from media training, and remember your interview is about connecting with the TV audience.

If you need help with speaking to the press and prepping for an interview, Caracal is here to help with executive media training. Learn more here.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc

---

ITK Daily is geopolitical business intelligence for senior executives with global ambition.

ITK Daily curates news @ the intersection of globalization, disruption, politics, culture, + sport and provides actionable insights and sharp commentary.

---