NFL Network host Rich Eisen is rarely shy about his allegiance to Michigan, from which he graduated with a B.A. in 1994. He even served as the Wolverines’ honorary captain on Sept. 10, 2016, giving the team a pep talk ahead of a 51–14 win over UCF.
On Friday, he tapped into his partisan side to make a joke at Ohio State's expense during his network’s coverage of the NFL draft.
With the 60th pick of the draft, the Bengals opted to take Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II, a second-team All-Big Ten performer in 2022. As Turner’s highlight reel played on screen, Eisen had a zinger ready.
“If you play in Cincinnati, what’s the most important thing when you draft somebody?” Eisen mused. “Somebody who knows how to win in the state of Ohio. He checks that box.”
Sometimes, draft analysis is simple. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/MYmmxU3JXj
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) April 29, 2023
Turner was part of a generation of Wolverines that helped end a decade of futility against the Buckeyes. Michigan defeated Ohio State 42–27 in Ann Arbor in 2021 and 45–23 in Columbus in ’22, making the world safe for trash-talk broadsides such as Eisen’s.
