Mock Draft Monday 1/26 '26
Pop Style
Pop Style
- NFL Draft Board ‘26
- College Hoops
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s Pop Style. It’s the 15th track off his album Views, since I gotta follow the Drake albums in chronological order because I’m too lazy to pick a song every Monday.
According to Reddit, there was an original version of this song that included Jay-Z and Kanye West. Drake was going to make Views exclusive to Apple Music and had sent the song to Kanye. West then sent the song back with a Jay-Z verse included, but it couldn’t be approved because Apple and Tidal Music (Jay-Z’s music streaming service) were feuding.
On to the ball…
Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Colton Hood is from Conyers, Georgia. He played high school football at Eagles Landing Christian, excelling as a defensive back in football and centerfielder in baseball, while running track at an all-state level. His initial collegiate stop was at Auburn in ‘23, where he served as a redshirt backup corner. He quickly transferred to Colorado in ‘24, earning more playing time at corner and becoming a special teams demon. In 13 games under Coach Prime, Hood had 24 tackles, 6 pass deflections, and two interceptions as Travis Hunter’s backup. He also returned kicks and played gunner in punt coverage. This past season, Colton Hood transferred once more to Tennessee. With the Volunteers at Rocky Top, Hood immediately became a starter and, as expected, had his best season yet. The 6’ cornerback was named 2nd Team All-SEC, finishing with 50 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 8 pass deflections, a Pick-6, and returned a fumble for a TD as well. He’ll likely run a blazing fast 40-time, which will garner some 1st Round attention in the NFL Draft.
Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
Lee Hunter is from Mobile, Alabama. He attended Blount High School, where in his senior year, he finished with 54 tackles, 20 TFL, and 4.5 sacks. His collegiate career began at Auburn, where he redshirted and didn’t see the field in ‘21. He immediately transferred to UCF in ‘22, where he earned limited snaps but recorded 17 tackles and a sack. During his ‘23 season with the Knights, Hunter had a breakout campaign with 70 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 3 sacks. This earned him an All-Big 12 honorable mention. The nose tackle was able to back up his production in ‘24 with 45 tackles and 9.5 TFLs while earning 2nd Team All-Big 12 praise. This past season, Lee Hunter transferred to Texas Tech to form one of the most formidable defensive line units in the nation. Hunter finished his lone season as a Red Raider with 41 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks while being named an AP 2nd Team All-American. At 6’4” and 330 lbs., Lee Hunter is one of the top nose tackles in this draft class. Not only does he have a handful of years as an elite run stopper, but he has also shown plenty of potential as an interior pass rusher. Given his brute force and nimble athleticism, Lee Hunter will very likely end up as a Night 2 prospect in the NFL Draft.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Monroe Freeling is from Charleston, South Carolina. He went to Oceanside Collegiate Academy, where he was a consensus 5-star recruit. As a freshman in ‘23, Freeling appeared in 8 games as a backup swing tackle, getting snaps on both sides of the line. As a sophomore in ‘24, Freeling again began the season as a backup swing tackle before being inserted into the Georgia starting offensive line at Left Tackle in Week 12. He had a solid sophomore season until he faced Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, where he gave up three sacks. This past season, Freeling returned as the Bulldogs’ starting blindside tackle, and he had an excellent season. In 13 starts, he allowed just three sacks and six QB Hurries while grading out with an 85.7 Pass Block Grade on PFF College. Monroe Freeling was voted 2nd Team All-SEC by his conference’s coaches. At 6’7” and 315 lbs., he has NFL size with some experience playing at both tackle positions. He’ll likely end up a Night 2 draft selection.
Justin Joly, TE, NC State
Justin Joly is from Brewster, New York. He attended Iona Prep High School in New Rochelle, where he caught 123 passes for 1,827 yards and scored 22 TDs. His collegiate career began at UConn. As a true freshman with the Huskies in ‘22, Joly caught 18 passes for 250 yards and 2 TDs. During his sophomore season at UConn, the 6’3” TE caught 56 passes for 578 yards and 2 scores. In ‘24, he transferred to North Carolina State and added 20+ pounds to his frame. As a junior at NC State, Joly caught 43 passes for 661 yards and 4 TDs. This past season, as a senior, Justin Joly had 49 catches for 489 yards and a career-high 7 TDs. For his efforts, he was named 1st Team All-ACC as the top TE of the conference. Over the course of his collegiate career, Joly has spent over 60% of his time lining up in the slot or out wide. He may be a bit undersized for the traditional in-line TE role, but has plenty of potential as a vertical threat in the pass game at the next level.
Max Llewellyn, EDGE, Iowa
Max Llewellyn is from Urbandale, Iowa. At Urbandale High School, Llewellyn played defensive end on defense and tight end on offense. His collegiate career at Iowa began with a redshirt in ‘21. However, he made an impact without playing in a game, as he was still honored with a Team Leader Award for how he went about practice. Llewellyn saw his first game action in ‘22, but served as more of a depth piece with limited snaps. During his first full season of contributing in ‘23, Llewellyn had 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He finally became a starter on the Hawkeyes’ defense in ‘24, finishing with 22 tackles, 8 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 23 QB Hurries, 6 QB Hits, and a forced fumble. As a senior this past season, the Iowa edge rusher was named an Honorable mention for the All-Big Ten and was awarded the Hustle Award by his teammates. He finished his senior year with 26 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 28 QB Hurries, and 11 QB Hits. Llewellyn has a wicked spin move off the edge, with two seasons of very solid pass-rush production. While he may not have a 1st Round ceiling, Max Llewellyn will follow the Hawkeye likes of Jack Campbell, Adrian Clayborn, Anthony Nelson, AJ Epensea, Chauncey Golston, and Lukas Van Ness to go pro.
Here’s a quick bit about five College Basketball players this season…
Keaton Wagler, SF, Illinois
Keaton Wagler is from Shawnee, Kansas. A four-star recruit out of Shawnee Mission Northwest, Wagler led the Cougars to back-to-back state championships. In his senior season last year, Wagler averaged 18.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Now a freshman at Illinois, the 6’6” wing player has taken the Big Ten by storm. In 20 games this season, Wagler is averaging 17.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game while shooting 44% from beyond the arc. Over the weekend in Illinois’ upset win over Purdue, the freshman phenom scored 46 points and drilled nine 3-pointers. That’s the most points scored by a single player in a road win over a Top 10 opponent in AP poll history and sets a new Illinois freshman scoring record. In a freshman class full of NBA talent, Keaton Wagler is yet another star making a case to be a lottery pick.
Jeremy Fears Jr., PG, Michigan State
Jeremy Fears Jr. is from Joliet, Illinois. His father, Jeremy Fears Sr., played two seasons of collegiate ball at Ohio University, averaging 10.5 points and 4 assists per game. His younger brother, Jeremiah Fears, played last season at Oklahoma and is currently a rookie on the Pelicans. Jeremy Fears Jr. went to Joliet High School right outside of Chicago, where he was a McDonald’s All-American. A four-star recruit, he decided to play for Tom Izzo at Michigan State. As a freshman with the Spartans, Fears played in 12 games, averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 assists off the bench before suffering a serious thigh injury from a gunshot wound while on holiday break. After an extensive rehab, he returned last season as a starter for the Spartans, averaging 7.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Now a junior, Fears has taken his game to another level, averaging career highs of 13.4 points and 8.9 assists per game. The Spartans are off to an 18-2 start to their season and are currently ranked inside the Top 10. In Michigan State’s latest blowout victory over Maryland, Fears scored 17 points and dropped 17 dimes. That’s the most assists by a Spartan in a single game since Mateen Cleaves had 20 in 2000. With veteran leadership as the Michigan State floor general, expect Fears to take the Spartans deep into March.
Robbie Avila, C, Saint Louis
Robbie Avila is from Oak Forest, Illinois. Attending Oak Forest High School, Avila became the school’s all-time leading scorer while averaging 23.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game his senior year. His first stop in college was at Larry Bird’s alma mater with the Indiana State Sycamores. As a freshman in ‘22-’23, Avila averaged 10.7 points and 4 rebounds per game, which earned him a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team. During his sophomore season in ‘23-’24, Avila was an integral part of the Sycamore team that was robbed of an opportunity of playing in the NCAA Tournament due to the selection committee. The center earned the nickname “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” while averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game during his final season with the Sycamores. Last year, Avila transferred to Saint Louis University. With the Billikens as a junior, Avila scored 17.3 points while bringing down 7 boards and dishing out 4 assists per game. He earned 2nd Team All-A 10 honors for his efforts, but St. Louis missed the NCAA Tournament. Now a senior, Avila is determined to take the Billikens to the Big Dance. Saint Louis is off to a 19-1 start to their season and just entered the AP Top 25 ranking for the first time in five seasons. Avila is averaging 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game while hitting an insanely efficient 47% from beyond the arc. A very balanced team, St. Louis currently has 8 players in their rotation who are averaging over 7.7 points per game. Expect the Billikens to be a dangerous team in March, with their offense flowing through their big man in Robbie Avila.
Terry Anderson, PF, High Point
Terry Anderson is from Deer Park, Texas. As a senior at Deer Park High School, he averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds per game. His first college stop was through the JUCO route. He attended UA Cossatot, where he averaged over 20 points and 13 rebounds per game for two seasons. He joined Lamar University in ‘22, where sepnt another two seasons. As a Cardinal, Anderson averaged 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while being named 2nd Team All-Southland Conference. He transferred to High Point University last season, where his role shifted toward off the bench. This season, Anderson is back in a starting role, leading High Point with 15.1 points per game. In the Panthers’ most recent win over the weekend, the crafty lefty forward scored a career-high 31 points with 11 rebounds. High Point is off to an 18-4 start to its season and sits in 1st place in the Big South Conference with a 6-1 conference record. The Panthers are hoping to get back to the NCAA Tournament this season after Purdue tough in the 1st Round of March Madness last year.
Jadin Booth, SG, Samford
