4 My Town | NFL ‘24 Mock | College Hoops Top 25 | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is 4 My Town by Birdman featuring Lil Wayne & Drake.
This song came out in December of ‘09, right after the Yankees had just won the World Series. Pretty cool that Birdman & Lil Wayne, both of New Orleans, and Drake of Toronto, would pick the Yanks logo as the picture on the cover of this single. I guess it just goes to show that nothing is cooler than when the Yanks win!
As Derek Jeter would say, at least he didn’t bounce it.
Drake in ‘09 had recorded Aston Martin Music with Rick Ross and Long Island’s own Chrisette Michele Payne. It was a hit so he might’ve been giving breadcrumbs on this chorus. That’ll be the tune for Mock Draft Monday on February 19th.
(These Drake features are in chronological order.)
We’ll just stick with a short intro on this song… I didn’t know this, but Pastor Kerney Thomas was a Televangelist who would sometimes say miracles with a bit of a Southern drawl. Clever line. Last week it was mentioned that Jay-Z told Timbaland that Drake was “the next cat” in rap so this could be about that. It’s always a good mindset to stay level-headed.
On to a 1st Round Mock Draft of my friends’ teams because of course, I do this 4 My Town…
Starting this week, I’ll throw in a few Mock Drafts featuring the Jets, Giants, Dolphins, Chargers, Jaguars, Patriots, Eagles, and Cowboys. I picked these teams because they are my friends & family's teams they root for. It’s also a quarter of the NFL so it’ll feature plenty of potential NFL stars of tomorrow.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the son of Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts. While it might not be fair to say Junior is as good of a route runner as his Hall of Fame father was just yet, the younger Harrison certainly has learned a thing or two from his old man. The Ohio State Buckeye is actually 6’4”, something Peyton’s favorite target was not blessed with. He is a sensational receiver and a nearly unstoppable receiver with great route-running skills, superb hands, blocking acumen, length, athletic ability, physicality, and speed. Harrison Jr. won the Biletnikoff Award in ‘23, joining Terry Glenn as the only other Buckeye to win the Top WR in the Nation Award. He leaves the program as the most decorated WR in Ohio State history. In the past two seasons, he compiled 144 catches for 2,474 receiving yards and 28 TDs.
The Patriots miss out on a QB but draft a sure thing WR1.
Brock Bowers is from Napa, California, so he must know a thing or two about wine. He had one of the best freshman tight end seasons of all time in ‘21 as he won the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. I had no idea that Shaun Alexander had a college award named after him either. Remember he was on the Cover of Madden ‘07 and then the Madden Curse completely ended his career. It was either that or the 370 carries Seattle gave in ‘05 that took a toll. Anyway, back to Bowers, the Georgia TE followed up his 56 catches for 882 receiving yards and 13 TDs campaign as a freshman with 63 catches for 942 receiving yards and 7 TDs. Bowers won the ‘22 John Mackey Award which goes to the Nation’s best TE. This past season was Bowers’ most difficult as he faced some nagging injuries that he was able to power through. He still caught 56 passes for 714 yards and 6 scores, becoming the 1st back-to-back winner of the John Mackey Award in college history. While he may not be the largest TE at 6’4”, he may be one of the more explosive once he makes the no-fun league.
The hardnosed Jim Harbaugh will love Bowers’ ability to both block and catch.
Jayden Daniels is from San Bernardino, California. He originally went to school at Arizona State where he was a 3-year starter for their program. As a Sun Devil Daniels threw 32 TDs to 13 INTs and also ran for 13 other scores. He is a dual-threat QB who in ‘22 with the LSU Tigers rushed for a team highs of 885 yards and 11 TDs. He also completed passes at a 68.2% clip with 17 TDs to just 3 INTs. Daniels has already written his way into LSU’s record books’ as he became the 1st Tiger to pass for 200 yards & rush for 100 yards in a game as well as the 1st Tiger to rush for 3 TDs and pass for 3 TD decided in games decided by regulation. He also started his career with LSU not throwing an INT until his 176th pass, another school record. This past fall, Jayden Daniels won the ‘23 Heisman Trophy Award as he was elite as a passer and runner. Daniels rushed for 1,135 yards and 10 scores while throwing for 3,812 passing yards and 40 TDs to just to 4 INTs. He has the speed to extend plays and the arm that can make tough SEC throws. The 5th year senior QB has the tools to play on Sundays.
Would I be shocked if the G-Men went QB? Sorta, but would they pass up on him for another year of Danny Dimes & Tommy D?
Joe Alt is from North Oaks, Minnesota. In ‘23, he was a Notre Dame captain and unanimous All-American. He finished his career at Notre Dame starting 34 games in a row. This past season in South Bend was one of their most prolific offensive seasons in school history, as Alt was the blindside of the Notre Dame offense that averaged 39.1 points per game. At 6’8” and 315 lbs. Alt has the combination of size and quickness off the line that you can’t teach.
The Jets need to draft an offensive player at #10. The best ability is availability and Alt has proven he can stay on the field.
Cooper DeJean set the Iowa single-season record of interceptions returned for a TD with 3 of them in ‘22. All in all, as a sophomore, DeJean had a phenomenal season with 75 tackles, 3 TFLs, 5 INTs, 13 pass deflections, and the 3 Pick 6s. DeJean earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from league media and second-team recognition from coaches. Iowa awarded him with both the Reggie Roby Special Teams Award and Team Hustle Award. DeJean is extremely versatile and has started as a safety, cornerback, and outside linebacker - he is a football player with great coverage skills. Iowa knew they had something special in DeJean when they named him the Next Man In Award in ‘21. As someone who DeJean tries to emulate his game after he mentioned, “I’ve always liked Tyrann Mathieu. Just the way he plays the game. The intensity. The way he flies to the ball. He was versatile in college.” DeJean in ‘23 was a consensus All-American who won the Big Ten’s Top Defensive Back and Top Return Specialist. He picked 2 more passes while playing more CB this season and returned 21 punts for 241 yards with 1 TD. Very versatile player.
The Jags need secondary help and Cooper DeJean does it all.
Jackson Powers-Johnson is from Draper, Utah, where he won 3 state championships playing on both sides of the line of scrimmage. As a freshman in ‘21, JPJ came off the bench to play in 11 games on the offensive line before actually transitioning to defense in preparation for the Valero Alamo Bowl. Last year as a sophomore, Powers-Johnson earned his first career starts as he made 12 of them all over the offensive line. He played over 400 snaps for the Ducks including 350 snaps at right guard, 44 at center, five at right tackle, and one at left guard. PFF College gave JPJ an 84.1 overall grade, an 86.2 pass-blocking grade, and an 84.7 run-blocking grade for his sophomore season. This past season, JPJ played center for the Ducks and was twice named the PAC-12’s Offensive Lineman of the Week. He got on the Week to Week Notes radar last November when he recovered a fumble and scored a TD (in the GIF). Unfortunately, the TD didn’t count but for a brief moment, JPJ had himself a TD celebration.
Phins Fan Insider wants Jackson Powers-Johnson so he’ll get him in this week’s mock.
Bralen Trice according to College Football PFF led all CFB in pressures with 67 in ‘22. Trice was named ‘22 All-Pac-12 First Team. He led the Huskies in sacks with 9, the 3rd most in the Pac-12. Coming out of high school, Trice was the 447th ranked player in the 247 Spots Composite out of Glendale, Arizona. He redshirted in ‘19 and he opted out of the ‘20 during the COVID-shortened season. This means Trice will be entering the NFL a little older than most juniors, but his production and development should still make him a 1st Rounder. This past season Trice had 7 more sacks and PFF College gave him an overall 87.2 grade, the 5th best in College Football in ‘23. Bralen Trice plays EDGE with an edge & high motor standing at 6’4” and 270 lbs.
The Eagles had a down year in the sack column and may need to replace their veteran pass rusher, Brandon Graham, at some point.
Taliese Fuaga (pronounced Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah) is from Tacoma, Washington. He chose Oregon State because “it was the best fit for me and my family.” During the COVID year of ‘20, Fuaga got his feet wet with 4 games as a freshman. In ‘21, the 6’6” tackle saw action in 10 games and made the PAC-12 Academic Honor Roll. Last year in ‘22, the Polynesian product started in all 13 games where he dammed an effective Beaver offense to 396 yards per game overall and 196.5 on the ground. Pro Football Focus really liked Fuaga’s strong play as they graded him an 80.8 overall with a 79.6 run block. He should be able to get plugged into an offense’s right tackle position and play right out of the gate in the NFL. He has excellent power and a quick first step, perfect for tackle in the NFL.
Taliese Fuaga can play multiple positions on the O-Line. Dallas may lose Tyron Smith to retirement or free agency. Even if Smith stays in Dallas, Fuaga could be mentored into taking on one of the tackle roles of their future.
The Associated Press is not budging on their Top 25 scheduled release date so these rankings get updated later on Monday.
RJ Davis (no relation) is from White Plains, New York, and went to Archbishop Stepinac.RJ Davis’ dad, Robert, played for Dobbs Ferry and is the school's all-time leading scorer. While RJ was in high school, he was named the ‘20 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in New York as well as Mr. Basketball. He was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, Iverson Classic, and BallisLife All-American Game while also setting the all-time prep scoring record in Westchester County with 2,446 career points. As a freshman in ‘20-’21, RJ Davis was Academic All-ACC and he averaged 9.4 points per game. In his sophomore season at Carolina, Davis was awarded the Co-Most Improved Player (Danny Green Award) as he averaged 13.5 points and 3.6 assists while leading the team in steals. Last year, the 6’ guard took another step in the right direction as he posted 16.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He shot 88% from the free throw line, which led the ACC, and is the 3rd highest FT % in a season by a Tar Heel. This season, the local legend has improved his game once again as he is now averaging 21.2 points per game while shooting a nice 92.9% from the free throw line. This past week, RJ Davis scored a career-high 36 points to beat Wake Forest.
Caleb Love is from St. Louis, Missouri, where he was named the ‘20 Gatorade Player of the Year for his home state. In high school, Love was a 5-star recruit who in ‘20 played in the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic, and the Iverson Classic. Initially, out of high school, Caleb Love picked UNC as his college. He immediately started as a freshman for the Tar Heels averaging 10.5 points and 3.6 assists per game while being named to the ACC All-Freshman team in ‘21. In his sophomore season, Love played a big role in the Tar Heels’ March Madness tournament run, including scoring 22 second-half points to beat Duke while ending Coach K’s career. Last year was the combo guard’s final year at UNC as he scored 16.7 per game while being an honorable mention on the All-ACC team in back-to-back years. This year Caleb Love transferred to Arizona. The senior leads the team in points at 19.3 per game. When Arizona beat Duke earlier in the season, Love proclaimed “I’m a Tar Heel for life” so it must’ve been nice knocking down 4 clutch free throws down the stretch in Cameron Indoor Arena. Just like his former Tar Heel teammate, RJ Davis, Love this week scored a career-high 36 points in Arizona’s win over Oregon.
Jared McCain is from Sacramento, California, where in high school he was ranked the #1 player from the state. He won the California Gatorade Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons of ‘22/’23. The freshman guard has been a solid contributor for Duke as a starter. He averages 12.5 points per game while shooting 42% from beyond the arc. In the 4 games where McCain has scored 21 or more points, Duke is undefeated. Also when the combo guard hits 3 or more 3-pointers, Duke is 7-1 on the season. He could certainly be an X-factor down the stretch of the Blue Devils season as he continues to develop. McCain just led the team in scoring in their win over Clemson earlier in the week.
Pop Issacs is from Las Vegas, Nevada, where as a senior in high school he averaged 23 points per game. The 4-star recruit played well as a freshman last season, earning the honors of being named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team while averaging 11.5 points and 1.1 steals per game. This year, Issacs leads Texas Tech in scoring as he averages 17 points per game while chipping in with 3 rebounds and 3.3 assists as well. A week after Issacs scored a career-high 32 points in Texas Tech’s win over BYU by hitting 6 3-pointers, the combo guard struggled from beyond the arc in his last game against Oklahoma shooting 1 of 6. That said, Issacs was able to get to the free throw line, which is key for all scorers when their shots aren’t falling, as he made a career-high 9 free throws to help beat #11 Oklahoma.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. is from Miami, Florida, and is the son of NBA star Jamal Mashburn. His father is from the Bronx and had a nice 11-year NBA career averaging 19.1 points per game for his career while being named an NBA All-Star in ‘03. Mashburn Jr. started his collegiate career at Minnesota where he averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman. He then transferred to New Mexico in ‘21-’22 and was named 3rd Team All-Mountain West while scoring 18.2 points per game. Last season, the 6’2” guard was named 1st Team All-Mountain West and he averaged 19.1 points per game. This year he has struggled more from beyond the arc, shooting 30% from 3 and averaging 15.8 points per game, but if he can find his shot from deep range by March, it’ll be pretty cool to see him and Eddie House’s son (Jaelen House) play in the NCAA Tournament together.
YouTube Rabbithole
Pearl River St. Patrick’s Day Parade ‘10
(We missed this one, too busy keeping the cops busy in the campgrounds.)