Mock Draft Monday 12/16 '24
The Christmas Song
The Christmas Song
- NFL Building a Board
- College Hoops
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song.
Everybody seems to know The Christmas Song from the iconic opening line. Mel Torme and Bob Wells wrote the holiday classic on a hot July day in 1945.
While visiting Bob at Toluca Lake, California, Mel noticed the opening verse jotted down on a spiral notepad. When Mel asked what this was about, Bob replied, “It's so blistering hot here, and thought it would be fun to see if I could write something about a totally different season, the winter season, Christmas season, and see if I could mentally, virtually cool off." Mel replied, "Not only have you cooled me off, but I think you've got a song here."
The first recording (& best version) was sung by Nat King Cole in November of 1946. He and his Nat King Cole Trio recorded the song at WMCA Radio Studios in New York City. Capitol Records wanted Cole to stand and sing during the recording session but Cole insisted he play the piano while singing. Good call considering the original recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974 and was the National Recording Registry in 2022.
(Source: SongFacts)
Another quintessential Christmas classic. I was very close to putting this at #1…
16. Carol of the Bells by John Williams
15. Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley
14. Just Like Christmas by Low
13. Last Christmas by Wham!
12. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey
11. Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano
10. Little Saint Nick by The Beach Boys
9. Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney
8. Little Drummer Boy by Harry Simeone Chorale
7. Happy Xmas by John Lennon
6. Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives
5. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry
4. Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid (Original)
3. Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry
2. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole
1. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee
(To be continued tomorrow.)
On to the sports…
After the College Football Playoff, I’ll update the board order…
Mikail Kamara, Edge, Indiana
Mikail Kamara is from Ashburn, Virginia, where he attended Stone Bridge High School and won back-to-back state championships. After racking up over 30 sacks during his junior and senior years of high school, Kamara attended James Madison University. During COVID, JMU elected to play their fall schedule in the spring of ‘21 so as a freshman Kamara started 6 games and was named the CAA Rookie of the Week in February of that season. He ended up with 3 sacks that spring. Unfortunately for Kamara, he missed the entire fall ‘21 season of football and had to redshirt due to a torn labrum. When he returned in ‘22, Kamara missed half the season with multiple ankle injuries, but still showed potential in his 5 starts as he ended up with 4 sacks. In ‘23, Mikail Kamara was finally fully healthy and the results showed. He led the Dukes in tackles for loss with 19 and also picked up 7.5 sacks. Kamara played a key role in James Madison’s 11-2 season under Curt Cignetti. Last winter when Cignetti got the coaching job at Indiana, one of his first things on the job was recruiting Mikail Kamara to come with him. Now with the Hoosiers in the Big Ten, Kamara has recorded career-highs in tackles (44) and sacks (10) while also picking up 15 TFLs. The best defender on one of the nation’s top defenses, Mikail Kamara will lead the Hoosiers into South Bend this weekend. Kamara still has another year of eligibility but projects as a possible Day 2 pass rusher if he decides to enter the NFL Draft.
Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
Azareye’h Thomas is from Niceville, Florida. At Niceville High School, Thomas was a consensus 4-star prospect who played RB but was also the Northwest Florida Daily News Defensive Player of the Year his junior year as a defensive back. He chose to play for his home state with the Seminoles of Florida State. As a freshman and sophomore, Thomas only made 1 start but appeared in 25 games. In his two seasons primarily as a reserve, Thomas had 1 INT, 7 pass breakups, and a thunderous forced fumble. This past season with FSU, Thomas entered the Seminole starting lineup and excelled. In 353 passing snaps, Thomas allowed just 17 catches on 31 targets for 8.3 yards per catch. He didn’t allow a TD and the longest reception allowed went for 21 yards. At 6’2” and rangy willing tackler, Azareye’h Thomas will play outside corner in the NFL. The junior defensive back has elected to forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft and is a projected Day 2 pick.
Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State
Jacob Parrish is from Olathe, Kansas. He played both sides of the ball as a WR & CB at Olathe North. His 1,313 receiving yards set a school record, however, he was recruited as a CB. As a freshman in ‘22 at Kansas State, Parrish was a backup defender and key contributor on special teams. Parrish entered the starting lineup as a sophomore in ‘23 as he was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for his strong play (44 tackles, 4 INTs, team-leading 13 pass breakups). One element of his game in ‘23 that Parrish needed to improve upon was his tackling as he missed 15.3% as a sophomore. This past season, Parrish split his mis-tackles in half and was graded as an above-average run defender. In pass coverage in ‘24, Parrish allowed just 9 yards per catch while picking off 1 pass and breaking up 4 others. The junior CB has forgone his senior season to enter the NFL Draft, projecting as a Day 2 pick.
Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
Mason Taylor is from Plantation, Florida. He played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and was a 4-star recruit. The son of Hall of Fame Miami Dolphin pass rusher, Jason Taylor, Mason decided to play for the LSU Tigers. As a true freshman in ‘22, Taylor made 12 starts as he caught 38 passes for 414 yards and 3 TDs. He was named to the ‘22 Freshman All-SEC Team. During his sophomore year, the 6’5” TE caught another 36 passes for 348 receiving yards and 1 score. This past season with the Tigers, Taylor caught a career-high 55 passes for a career-high 546 receiving yards. Mason Tayor has played the safety valve over the middle for some prolific LSU Tiger offenses. While he may not have been featured compared to the likes of their WRs, he’s a solid route runner who can hold his own as a run blocker.
Miles Frazier, OG, LSU
Miles Frazier is from Camden, New Jersey, however, he went to high school at Milford Academy Prep in Upstate New York. A 3-star recruit, Frazier’s first college was Florida International. After redshirting in ‘20, Miles Frazier made 10 of 11 starts in ‘21 at Left Tackle at FIU and was named to the Freshman All-American Team. He then transferred to LSU in ‘22, where he made starts at 3 different positions on the offensive line with the majority being Left Guard. In ‘23 as a Redshirt Junior, Miles Frazier found his permanent home at Right Guard as he made all 13 starts and barely left the field, allowing just 1 sack with 4 QB Hurries. This past season in ‘24, the 6’5” & 325 lbs. lineman again made all 12 starts at Right Guard. Not only didn’t he allow a single sack in ‘24, but Frazier graded out on PFF College as a 90.3 in Pass Blocking the best among all interior linemen in college. A versatile lineman with experience at both guard and tackle spots, Miles Frazier’s excellent pass-blocking instincts will have him playing on Sundays in the NFL.
Here are this week’s 5 College Basketball player profiles around the country…
Liam McNeeley, F, UConn
Liam McNeeley is from Richardson, Texas. After playing 2 seasons of high school hoops in Texas, McNeeley transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida where he played alongside Cooper Flagg. The consensus 5-star prospect and Top 10-rated recruit is off to a nice start at UConn as he’s averaging 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. While he was thought to be just a sharpshooter, McNeeley has impressed as a well-rounded player who can create as a playmaker on the pass as well. Over the weekend in UConn’s big win over Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden, McNeeley scored a career-high 26 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. With more games like that, expect McNeeley’s role to continue to grow in the Huskies’ offense.
Lamont Butler, G, Kentucky
Lamont Butler is from Moreno Valley, California. He played his high school hoops at Riverside Poly High where he was a 4-star recruit and his conference’s MVP. Before his time at Kentucky, Lamont Butler played for the San Diego State Aztecs for 4 seasons. After a freshman season where he came off the bench, Butler was named to the Mountain West All-Defensive Team as a sophomore, coming away with 1.7 steals per game. Butler’s most memorable time at San Diego State was when he was a key contributor to their March Madness run in ‘23 that ended in the National Championship. It was his buzzer-beater to defeat Florida Atlantic that got the Aztecs in the title game. During his junior and senior seasons with San Diego State, Butler was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. In 131 games with the Aztecs, the defense-first guard averaged 7.7 points and 2.6 assists per game. Now with Kentucky, Butler has developed much more of a threat on the offensive end. The 5th-year senior is averaging a career-high 15.1 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 48% from 3. In Kentucky’s big win this week over Louisville, Lamont Butler led the way, scoring a career-high 33 points on a perfect 10 of 10 from the field, 4 of 4 from 3, and 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers
Dylan Harper is from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. He is the son of former NBA champion, Ron Harper, who won NBA titles with MJ’s Bulls and the Shaq&Kobe Lakers. Dylan Harper’s older brother, Ron Harper Jr., played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was an All-American in ‘22 averaging 15.8 points per game. Dylan Harper played high school hoops for Don Bosco Prep averaging 23 points per game while being named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year in New Jersey. The 6’6” lefty PG became the first player in Rutgers history to win the McDonald’s All-American Game’s MVP award. So far in his first 11 games with the Scarlett Knights, Dylan Harper has been all that was advertised and more. Harper is averaging team-highs with 23.5 points and 4.4 assists per game. This past weekend, the freshman point guard drilled a buzzer-beater to defeat Seton Hall. Harper has scored 20 or more points in 9 of his first 11 collegiate games and is already a leading candidate for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year award.
Kaleb Banks, F, Tulane
Kaleb Banks is from Hampton, Georgia, where in high school he was a 2,000+ point scorer. During his senior year at Fayette County, Banks averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game. His first stop in college was at Indiana, where in 2 seasons he seldom played for the Hoosiers and saw very little opportunity when he did (2.3 points per game in 45 contests). The 6’8” power forward decided to transfer to Tulane at the end of last season. Now with the Green Wave, Kaleb Banks leads Tulane with 17.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He’s been a dominant force both inside the paint and beyond the 3-point line (41.2%). In his latest effort against Florida State, Banks had career-highs with 33 points and 16 rebounds. The 4-star high school recruit has developed a ton in his short time at Tulane and was clearly ready for a larger role.
Jordan Gainey, G, Tennessee
