What’s My Name? | NFL Draft ‘24 | College Hoops | YouTube Rabbithole
What’s up @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune on this Mock Draft Monday is What’s My Name? by Rihanna featuring Drake.
Well, it started with Thomas. My family still calls me that.
When I moved to Pearl River, I tried going with Tom.
Growing up most of my baseball or basketball coaches would always call me Tommy.
When I played Gaelic for a few years, some of those coaches had a bit of a brogue so it was Tomás.
Towards the end of high school and college, it became Dave from my last name Davis.
One of my friends from high school gave me the pseudonym “Crockett” from Davy Crockett. Being quoted for a senior quote was pretty cool.
You can call me whatever, I’m used to it. The first name Thomas is the 12th most popular in the United States. The last name Davis is the 7th most popular name in the United States, so there are many of me’s out there. I’m more concerned with name recognition of Week to Week Notes. Does anybody know who the hell Stuart Scheftel or Henry Luce are?
Stuart Scheftel was an Oxford graduate who worked for The New York Times in 1931. A sportsman and entrepreneur, Scheftel in 1936 started writing his own monthly sports magazine called Sports Illustrated. "We were beginning to turn the corner financially, but because paper was at such a premium I had to choose between Sports Illustrated and another magazine I put out, Young America. So I stopped publishing Sports Illustrated.” Scheftel still owned the title of Sports Illustrated so when Henry Luce of Time Inc. came calling in 1954 with his own spin on the sports magazine, the first official Sports Illustrated we know today was produced on August 16, 1954. Henry Luce bought Stuart Scheftel’s idea for $5k in 1954 and the only other demand Scheftel made was that he would be gifted a lifetime subscription to the magazine.
There are quite a few differences between SI and Week to Week Notes. For instance, in 1954 it cost you a quarter to purchase it and these Notes are free. In their first year of existence, it only produced 20 issues. It lost $6 million and wouldn’t turn a profit until a decade later. Luckily, I have not yet dropped $6 million into advertising or pints of Guinness. We are similar in some respects though. When it first started it was keen on covering sports such as rugby and golf, which I just spent the weekend doing a bit of both. I also get a kick out of coming up with my own Covers, Stories, and Reels, which is kinda odd because before this I had zero design experience. There was nothing better than being a kid, running to fetch the mail, and seeing a cool cover from Sports Illustrated so maybe that’s where it comes from.
If you’re rolling your eyes, believe me, I’m not naive enough to think that Week to Week Notes will ever be what Sports Illustrated became. That said, I ain’t selling and I figure Sports Illustrated would be a written sports media publication that it should strive to emulate in our own way. Emphasis on “our”, hopefully, one day it’s not just me writing about sports, music, history, pints, pop culture, whatever you’d like, etc.
So who cares if people know What’s My Name?
Poor Drizzy has been trying to figure out what the square root of 69 is since October 26, ‘10. What a random math number to pick from. It’s 8.30662386292, glad we got that sorted.
To each their own, I just stick to pints of Guinness but Week to Week Notes does also come to life in the night time too.
Let’s talk ball…
This week’s Mock Draft features the first 2 rounds of 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.
Patriots
- Marvin Harrison Jr. going to the Patriots would be an absolute horror show for the Jets. People forget that New England’s defense, particularly Ty Law’s play against Marvin Harrison Sr. in the ‘03 AFC Championship Game, is why the NFL changed their rules where you can barely contact a WR after 5 yards. Despite his rough AFC Championship performance, the Hall of Famer in 17 career games against NE had 106 catches for 1,508 yards and 14 scores. Let’s hope his son doesn’t become a Pat.
Chargers
- While the Chargers already have a solid LT in Raeshawn Slater, Joe Alt could replace their RT Trey Pipkins. Alt has very few flaws to his game and I figure Jim Harbaugh will try not to get Justin Herbert killed.
Giants
- Jayden Daniels would be the 2nd Heisman Trophy Winner the Giants have drafted in team history. The only one to date was RB Ron Dayne of Wisconsin back in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Jets
- After taking a QB in last week’s Mock Draft, this week I’ll throw Aaron Rodgers a bone. Brock Bowers would be the best TE that Rodgers has played in his career, supplanting Jermichael Finley.
Jaguars
- I’m convincing myself that the Jaguars draft a DB. I have no idea if Cooper Dejean will pan out as a CB or Safety in the NFL, but the kid can play.
Dolphins
- Tony Fautanu has experience playing tackle with a lefty QB at Washington in Michael Penix Jr. Not that it is a big deal, but I’m sure lefty QBs change O-Line dynamics a lot more than we’d think. Tua needs blockers.
Eagles
- Laiatu Latu is a little older than most prospects because he suffered a very serious neck injury way back in ‘19 that almost finished his football career. It wasn’t until a UCLA doctor cleared him to play in ‘22 that his comeback became possible. In the past 2 seasons, Latu combined for 23.5 sacks and would bolster the Eagles pass rush.
Cowboys
- Taliese Fuaga, pronounced Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah, was beloved by Pro Football Focus. They graded him out as an 80.8 overall with a 79.6 run block. I’m keen on getting the Dallas O-Line some youth.
Patriots
- Chop Robinson’s stat lines from the past two seasons (5.5 sacks in ‘22 and 4 sacks in ‘23) might cause him to fall to the 2nd Round. Let’s hope New England doesn’t draft him because he would be trying to sack Aaron Rodgers.
Chargers
- After going OT in the 1st Round, Herbert gets a versatile TE weapon in the Round 2. Playing with Justin Herbert, TE Gerald Everett saw career-highs in receptions with 58 and 51 passes caught the past 2 seasons. Everett is now set to become a free agent so Sanders would be his replacement.
Giants
- Per the NY Post, the Giants are considering using the transition tag on FS Xavier McKinney. The 24-year-old is set to become a free agent and the transition tag would cost them $14 million. While they could also Franchise Tag him, the transition tag is a bit cheaper with the risk that another team can negotiate a better contract with him. In this hypothetical scenario, McKinney goes elsewhere and the G-Men draft a nice replacement in Tyler Nubin. The Minnesota Safety holds the program’s record in INTs with 13 and is also a very sure tackler with 143 solo takedowns. Nubin was an AP 2nd Team All-American in ‘23.
Giants
- Ladd McConkey would give Jayden Daniels a reliable pass catcher who can get open. McConkey is a great route runner who was hampered this past season with hamstring injuries that may have him slip to the 2nd Round. He started his career as a 3-star prospect on a crowded Georgia depth chart and always produced when his number was called.
Jaguars
- Duval would welcome T’Vondre Sweat in the 2nd Round. He is a big fella at 6’4” and 362 lbs. with the size to wreck games. Pairing him up with former Jet Foley Fatukasi would make a formidable D-Line down in Jacksonville.
Eagles
- Graham Barton has the versatility to play all 5 O-Line positions as he did so at Duke. Philly could stick him anywhere and he could maybe one day replace Lane Johnson who is about to turn 34 in May.
Eagles
- I’m sticking with O-Line in the 2nd Round for the Eagles. Zach Frazier of West Virginia looks like a Mountaineer and would be Jason Kelce’s replacement. I figure they gotta have a guy with a beard leading Tush Pushes or Brotherly Shoves.
Dolphins
- Reports are that Miami will be letting go of Xavien Howard. Kalen King had an excellent career at Penn State. Much like X back in his prime, Kalen King is a shutdown corner. This past season, King was only targeted 32 times in 196 coverage snaps (per PFF). After breaking up 21 passes and intercepting 3 in ‘22, college QBs stopped looking his way.
Cowboys
- Caelen Carson goes by the nickname “Los.” This would be a good pick if they decide to part ways with Stephon Gilmore who turns 34 around Week 2 of the ‘24 NFL season. While that’s not too old in real life, that’s ancient in the life of NFL CBs.
Unfortunately, these College Basketball Top 25 will become outdated by tomorrow morning because the Associated Press won’t make century-long changes to their scheduling at the behest of Week to Week Notes’ Mock Draft Monday. That said, we can still learn a bit about future hoopers.
Tristen Newton is from El Paso, Texas, and is cousins with Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones. In high school, Newton played for Burges High where as a senior he led the state of Texas averaging 37.2 points per game. UConn has not been Newton’s only school he’s played for post-Burges, as from ‘19 to ‘22 he attended East Carolina. As a Pirate for 3 seasons, Newton’s best season down there came his junior year when he averaged 17.7 points, 5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. He transferred last year to UConn and played in all 39 games while starting in 38 of them. Newton is the leading scorer of the returning guys from last year’s championship run as he put up 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds while also leading the Huskies in assists with 4.7 per game. Head coach Dan Hurley told the media this week, "I think at times last year he felt unappreciated, and rightfully so, overshadowed by performances from some other great players that are no longer with us...he has every opportunity this year to get everything he wants." Newton is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder this season as he is averaging 15.2 points with 7.3 boards per game. This past weekend against Villanova, Newton recorded his 4th collegiate career triple-double as he had 10 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in their win over the Wildcats.
Kam Jones is from Memphis, Tennessee, where in high school he averaged a clean 20 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior. As a freshman at Marquette, Jones averaged 7.4 points while shooting 39% from 3. He was named to the All-Freshman Big East Team in ‘21-’22. Last year at Marquette, Kam Jones averaged 15.1 points per game, but his biggest highlight as a sophomore was the 18 straight points he scored in Marquette’s win over Vermont in the 1st Round of the ‘23 March Madness. This season the lefty guard is averaging 15.1 points per game and has been shooting the lights out of late. This past week he dropped 34 points (a career-high) twice while shooting an absurd 14 of 20 (70%) from beyond the arc.
Coleman Hawkins is from Sacramento, California, where he was a 3-star prospect who averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He rode the bench for much of his freshman season but earned more playing time as a sophomore in ‘22, earning 14 starts. As a junior in ‘23, Hawkins was 3rd on Illinois points with 9.9 per game and led the team in rebounds with 6.3 boards per game. His 3 assists also led the team, not bad for someone 6’10”. This season thus far has been Hawkins' best in the scoring column as he is averaging 13 points per game and shooting 40% from 3. Hawkins has a naturally smooth jump shot and has good guard skills for a big man. This past week, Hawkins scored a career-high 30 points in the Illini win over Iowa. He also had 5 assists and 5 steals, so a great all-around performance.
Jaedon LeDee is from Houston, Texas, and was a four-time all-state player in high school, averaging 27 points per game his senior year. In his first year of college, he chose to play for the Buckeyes at Ohio State but only saw limited playing time so he transferred to TCU as a sophomore. While Bullfrog, LeDee played 2 seasons coming off the bench while averaging 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. After 2 years at TCU, LeDee utilized his redshirt season in ‘21-’22 and he sat out while transferring to San Diego State. LeDee returned to the court for the ‘22-’23 season last year and averaged a career-high 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He was still coming off the bench last season but was great in the Mountain West Conference Tournament which earned him recognition along with his scholar-athlete awards. This season, LeDee is now a starter for the Aztecs and is leading the team in scoring while averaging 20.6 points and 18.3 rebounds per game. The 5th year student is having a breakout season and has led the Aztecs in scoring with 20+ points in their last 5 games.
Isaiah Stevens is from Allen, Texas, where he was a 3-star recruit who averaged 21 points per game as a senior. Stevens had offers from Mississippi State, SMU, and UTEP, but chose to play for the Colorado State Rams right out of the gate. As a true freshman, Stevens started all 32 games while leading the team in points (13.3), assists (4.5), and minutes (32.7) per game. His freshman season was just the start, Stevens has started every game of his 5-year career at Colorado State thus far. He was named Second Team All-Mountain West in ‘21 and ‘22, while last season earning First Team All-Mountain West. So far this season, Stevens is averaging 16.4 points and 7.4 assists per game. While Colorado State has had a rough week with 2 losses, Stevens has still played well scoring 18+ points in his last 3 games while shooting 6 of 12 from beyond the arc. After this week, he now holds the Colorado State record of all-time 3-pointers made with 240 3s and counting.
Robbie Avila is from Oak Forest, Illinois. He was a high school teammate of his current Sycamore teammate, Jayson Kent. Avila is one of the high-rated commits to choose to play for Indiana State as he was tabbed as the 6th best prospect out of Illinois in high school. As a senior for Oak Forest High School, he averaged 23.9 points with 10.6 rebounds per game and became the school’s all-time leading scorer. Last year was his freshman season at Indiana State where he made 29 starts and averaged 10.7 points with 4 rebounds per game while shooting 34% from 3. This season he has improved his numbers in all three columns with 16.7 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 41% from deep. While he may not look like your typical hooper, don’t let the glasses deceive you, this guy is a walking bucket. After losing 2 in a row to Illinois State and Southern Illinois, the Sycamores have bounced back. Jayson Kent dropped 23 points in his return to action in their win over Valparaiso and Avila led the the Sycamores with 22 points in their win over UIC this past Saturday.
YouTube Rabbithole
HR Meeting - SNL
This is the only skit I’ve seen so far, gotta watch the rest of the episode.