Mock Draft Monday 12/30 '24
Now & Forever
Now & Forever
- NFL Building a Board
- College Hoops
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s Now & Forever because we’re back on the Monday albums in chronological order and this is where we left off before the Christmas music. The song is solid, not so much a favorite, but solid.
On to the sports…
After the College Football Playoff, I’ll update the board order…
Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
Elic Ayomanor is from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, a town of less than 200 people. While he started high school at Medicine Hat High, Ayomanor would transfer to New Jersey and then eventually end up in Massachusetts. After receiving scholarship offers from Notre Dame, California, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, Ayomanor decided to play for Stanford. He missed his entire freshman season in ‘22 due to a significant knee injury. Ayomanor made his collegiate debut in ‘23 and took the College Football world by storm when caught 13 passes for 294 yards and 3 TDs against the Colorado Buffalo. Travis Hunter and Coach Prime had no answers for the Ayomanor. The rest of his ‘23 season was solid as he caught a total of 62 passes for 1,013 yards and 6 TDs while receiving the Jon Cornish Trophy awarded to the best Canadian in College Football. This past season for Ayomanor was quite similar as he caught 63 passes for 831 yards and 6 TDs. While didn’t win the Jon Cornish Trophy in ‘24, he came in 3rd in voting. At 6’2”, Ayomanor has the ability to make contested catches over smaller defenders. He’s also an effective runblocker. Elic Ayomanor has a high-floor as a complimentary outside WR with some untapped potential playing a run-first Stanford offense.
Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
Dylan Sampson is from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Growing up, Sampson credits Reggie Bush as being his favorite player because of his tenure with the Saints. While at Dutchtown High School in Louisiana, Dylan Sampson broke Eddie Lacy’s program record for all-time rushing yards, racking up 4,927 yards. As a freshman in ‘22, Dylan Sampson was 3rd-string behind Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. He still rushed 397 yards (6.8 yards per carry) and 6 scores as a backup true freshman. As a sophomore in ‘23, Dylan Sampson shook up the backfield pecking order as he was 2nd on the Volunteers in carries and 1st in TDs (7). Once both Wright and Small declared for the NFL, the Volunteers got a glimpse of what Sampson would look like as a starter in the Citrus Bowl. He didn’t disappoint as he rushed for 133 yards. This past season Sampson was the Vols unquestioned workhorse and the results followed. Sampson won the SEC Offensive Player of the Year as he led the SEC in rushing yards (1,491) and set a program record for rushing TDs (22). The junior RB was a massive reason for Tennessee’s success this season. He is not only elusive but doesn’t shy away from contact either and has a great nose for the end zone.
DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State
DJ Giddens is from Junction City, Kansas. During his senior year of high school he was All-State as he rushed for 1,255 yards and scored 30 touchdowns. After redshirting at K-State in ‘21, Giddens backed up Deuce Vaughn in ‘22 as he finished with 518 rushing yards and 6 TDs. He showed enough potential as redshirt freshman that he earned the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. In ‘23 as a sophomore, Giddens became the starting R as he rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 TDs while also catching 29 passes for 323 yards. This past season with the Wildcats was DJ Giddens most effective season as he ran for 6.6 yards per carry. He was named to the All-Big 12 2nd Team as he totaled 1,343 rushing yards and 7 scores on the ground. The elusive running back can cut on a dime and make defenders miss in a phone booth. DJ Giddens has proven he can not only handle to load as he’s had back to back 200+ carry seasons, but maintain efficiency with a career 6 yards per carry.
Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville
Ja’Corey Brooks is from Bradenton, Florida, but he played high school football at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami and IMG Academy. A highly touted recruit, Brooks began his collegiate career at Alabama. As a freshman, Brooks carved out a rotational role with the Tide as he put up 15 catches for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns in his final 6 games. Brooks as a sophomore at ‘Bama led the team in yards per reception (17.3) as he caught 39 passes for 674 yards and 8 TDs. He also made a role for himself on special teams as a returner and even blocked a punt in coverage. ‘23 would be Brooks’ last season with ‘Bama as it began on shaky grounds with a 1st Half suspension on the season opener implemented by Nick Saban. Brooks then saw limited playing time and dealt with a shoulder injury for the rest of the season as he only caught 3 passes for 30 yards. This past spring he transferred to Louisville and the decision paid off big time. Brooks set career-highs as the Cardinals’ go-to wideout, catching 61 passes for 1,013 yards and 9 TDs. He was named 1st Team All-ACC while being mentioned in the Biletnikoff Award and Comeback Player of the Year discussions. At 6’3”, Ja’Corey Brooks has excellent size to play on the outside along with great body control for contested catches. While he’ll need to work on his drops (7 last season), when he dials in with concentration like in the GIF above, he can make some absurd catches look easy.
Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virgina Tech
Aeneas Peebles is from Raleigh, North Carolina. He went to Knightdale High School where he played varsity football for 4 seasons and I’m assuming hit bombs in baseball for 2. His initial college stop was at Duke University. In his 4 seasons at Duke, the defensive tackle played in 48 games compiling 87 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups, and causing 2 fumbles. His ‘23 season as a Blue Devil was his best as he receieved the Cutcliffe Family Award which goes to the player who improved the most. His former head coach wasn’t the only one impressed by his play as PFF College also named him All-ACC First Team. Peebles transferred to Virginia Tech this past spring. The 6’1” & 290 lbs. defensive lineman had 33 tackles, 6 sacks, and 24 QB Hurries. PFF College gave Peebles a 90.8 Pass Rushing Grade for the ‘24 season as he was elite at getting after the QB from the interior. Although he still technically has collegiate eligibility, Aeneas Peebles has declared for the NFL Draft and will participate in the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl, where he can even further improve his draft stock.
Here are this week’s 5 College Basketball player profiles around the country…
PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis
PJ Haggerty is from Crosby, Texas. As a senior at Crosby HS, Haggerty earned the title Mr. Texas Basketball Player of the Year as he averaged 28 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. Despite the accolades, Haggerty was listed as a 3-star recruit and didn’t see much action during his freshman year at TCU so he redshirted. Haggerty transferred to Tulsa last season and was immediately a starter for the Golden Hurricanes. He earned Unanimous AAC Freshman of the Year honors and was named Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year, averaging 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, & 3.8 assists per game. After just one season at Tulsa, PJ Haggerty joined Memphis for this season and is again off to a hot start in the scoring column. The redshirt sophomore averages 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2 steals while improving his 3-point shot to 40%. A slasher with nice finishes around the rim, Haggerty posted 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in Memphis’ latest victory over #16 Ole Miss.
Hayden Gray, G, UC San Diego
Hayden Gray is from San Diego, California. He played high school hoops at Santa Fe Christian School, leading them to a state championship in ‘21. The 6’4” point guard wasn’t recruited much so he decided to go to school at Azusa Pacific, a DII school closer to LA. In his 2 seasons with the Cougars, Gray made 57 starts as he averaged 9.5 points, 3.4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. This caught the attention of his local hometown’s college, UC San Diego, who offered him a shot as the team’s starting point guard. Last season for the Tritons, Hayden Gray averaged 9 points, 3.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. Now a senior, Gray is leading UCSD to a 12-2 start to their season. Hayden Gray is shooting a career-best 43% from beyond the arc while averaging a career-best 10.5 points per game. The California kid is also the best pickpocketer in College Hoops as his 3.8 steals per game are the most in all of the land.
Ian Schieffelin, F, Clemson
Ian Schieffelin is from Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Grayson High School and was a 3-star recruit averaging 12.0 points + 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a senior. As a true freshman at Clemson in ‘21-’22, Schieffelin averaged 3.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. The following season he worked his way to 5.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while cracking the starting lineup 22 times. Last season as a junior, Ian Schieffelin earned the ACC Most Improved Player as his stat line improved to 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while he shot 47% from beyond the arc. The 6’8” power forward was especially great in last year’s March Madness, averaging 14.8 points and 9 rebounds in Clemson’s Elite 8 run. This season as a senior, Schieffelin is off to his best season yet as he’s been averaging a double-double (13. points & 11.6 rebounds per game) while improving other parts of his game as a defender (1.1 steals) and point forward playmaker (3.1 assists). The senior forward has improved in nearly all aspects of his game but his bread & butter is still battling on the boards.
Daniel Batcho, F, LA Tech
Daniel Batcho is from Paris, France. He played high school at Centre Federal du Basketball where he suffered his first knee injury in ‘18-’19 but was able to showcase his potential in limited opportunity as an 18-year-old by averaging 14.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocked shots in his return in the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. He initially intended to play for Arizona, however, he underwent knee surgery in the fall of ‘20 and never played a game for the Wildcats. Batcho made his collegiate debut with the Texas Tech Red Raiders in ‘21-’22 as he came off the bench to average 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. The 6’11” big man was able to crack the Red Raiders starting lineup as a sophomore as he led the Texas Tech in blocked shots (1.5 per game) while adding in 7.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Daniel Batcho then decided to transfer to LA Tech last season. He was the ‘24 CUSA Newcomer of the Year and made the 1st Team All-CUSA, averaging 15.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. In his 2nd season with the Bulldogs, Batcho is off to his best start in the scoring department with 20 points per game while maintaining his status as one of the best shotblockers in College Hoops.
Sebastian Thomas, G, URI
