@YouTheReader this was supposed to be Houstatlantavegas but to be honest I’ve never been to Houston, Atlanta, or Las Vegas yet and I believe it or not, I can’t really relate much to Mr. Graham’s spending habits at clubs. We’ll get back on track with ridiculously trying to explain Drake’s career arc next Monday. Hopefully, you find this transition to be Successful.
I can relate to “Landslide” by The Dixie Chicks. Sorry for including their former name, I just feel it needs to be mentioned or some of you won’t know who I’m referring to. It is really not with the intention to make anyone feel some type of way, it is just for further reference. See if you go to a bar and ask the bartender to “play The Chicks’ song,” there is a good chance the bartender will respond back, “what broad are we talking about?” That said if you go to that same bartender and say, “play The Dixie Chicks’ songs,” you’re just as likely to get the response, “Woah! That’s your first strike. They aren’t called that anymore.” In some ways, you’re just damned if you do, damned if you don’t. These are just some things I have to contemplate during my Rookie Season. @YouTheReader maybe you’re just better off requesting the Fleetwood Mac version…
Alright, I promise not to go line by line explaining Week to Week Notes Warped Logic on how this song relates to a start-up sports publication. I’ll save that one in my Back Pocket for when I use the Fleetwood Mac version after I Walk The Line way down the road. I picked this version because it reminds me of my parents. Well, this one is a bit more so for my mom. My dad got his first Johnny Cash song on Week to Week Notes yesterday.
The first time I heard this song was this one time when my family drove down to the Outer Banks in the summer of ‘04. It was a 10+ hour drive and in those days your choices for music couldn’t be streamed from a figment of our imagination cloud up above in an instant. You had to have this thing called a Compact Disc (or CD) where you would have to insert it into this “CD Player.” Anyway, “Landslide” (Track 2) and “Travelin’ Soldier” (Track 3) were played over&over&over&over again on our ride down to meet up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. You can ask my siblings, they may have been a bit too young at the time, so they might not know exactly why they know the majority of every word to these two songs that were covered excellently, but the drive to Outer Banks is for sure why.
“Alexa, play ‘Landslide’” is going to be my dad tonight. When Jeff Bezos’ Alexa’s robot brain doesn’t know what to call the band of beautiful women, the machine will probably combust. Hopefully, my parents can find this “Home” CD, although they have rearranged the house so often my bet is it is lost in a cabinet somewhere. @YouTheReader keep them in your thoughts as they scramble to find it.
Happy Anniversary to these two kids!!! I love you guys!
@YouTheReader, shoot I forgot to get them a gift, do you think my 30-player mock draft will suffice?!?!?
Alright, enough about them, Week to Week Notes is all about me, and we’re on to Mock Draft Monday…
The Scout That Never Was
@FanInsiders you can do a Mock Draft of your own on FanSpeak.com. I only picked the Jets players, a computer-simulated the rest of your football teams. Only featuring certain teams for now. Every player has a hyperlink to a YouTube highlight tape if you want to check out their good tape.
Round 1
Pick 13 (Jets)
Traded down with the Pittsburgh Steelers. NY Jets receive the 17th pick in the 1st round and the 1st pick in the 2nd round. The Computer-Simulated Steelers really wanted Myles Murphy.
Zay Flowers was on the All-ACC First Team wide receiver who set the BC single-season mark in receiving touchdowns (12), tied the record for receptions in a season (78), and produced the third most receiving yards (1,077) in a season in BC history. A shifty WR the Patriots could use to bring some life to their lifeless WR position group.
Paris Johnson Jr is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete who is majoring in journalism and has written numerous articles that have been published in the school newspaper, The Lantern. (Source: The Ohio State University) Here hyperlinked is something he wrote on the Ohio State baseball team. The 6’6” and 310 lbs. left tackle played mostly guard before moving outside to tackle in ‘22. He anchored the blindside OL line that is sixth nationally in fewest TFLs allowed (37; only 7 sacks allowed). In 757 snaps at the new position, he gave up only 9 QB hurries, no QB hits, and two sacks. Johnson has the prototypical size and athleticism to play tackle in the NFL and also has a bit of a mean street on the field, which is never a bad thing on the gridiron. For the Jets, whether he is ready to step in at LT or if he is a better fit at Guard, Johnson would provide the Jets with another talented young offensive lineman which you can never have too many of.
If it feels like every year Notre Dame has a stud TE entering the draft, that is because they are basically Tight End University. Mark Bavaro, Anthony Fasano, Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson, Tyler Eifert, Troy Niklas, and Cole Kmet, are some of the notable names. Michael Mayer had at least one reception in all 36 games of his collegiate career. That consistency helped make Mayer the school's all-time leader in catches by a TE in an inconsistent offense. Mayer’s 809 receiving yards in ‘22 represented over 30% of Notre Dame’s 2,692 team passing yards.
Devon Witherspoon became the first Illinois football player in school history to be named a Jim Thorpe finalist. He also became the first football player in school history to be named a consensus first-team All-American. Both of these accomplishments occurred during the ‘22 season when the Dick Butkus Defensive MVP had 17 pass breakups (good for top 6 in all of the NCAA) and 3 INTs. Witherspoon is a very physical and willing tackler who was more importantly graded the #1 in coverage in the nation (92.5), according to PFF.
Asking any rookie WR to step into an offense and immediately become WR#1 is a bit unrealistic, but Quentin Johnston may have some special YAC ability where they can manufacture him touches. Johnston was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in ‘22, which recognizes the nation's most outstanding WR. He reached 1,069 receiving yards in ‘22 on only 60 catches for the season. That is an impressive average of 17.8 yards per catch. The 17.8 he averaged this past season was actually a career low at TCU as Johnston averaged 19.2 and 22.1 as a sophomore&freshman with fewer targets. Johnston at 6’4” with 4.4 speed should translate in pros. For the Giants, he’d be a great secondary weapon for the Saquon Barkley-led team.
Jordan Addison was the ‘21 Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver) at Pitt before transferring to USC last season. As a transfer at USC, Addison had 59 catches for 875 receiving yards and 8 TDs. He is a natural in terms of route-running, he just knows how to get open. His cutting ability and speed should translate to yards after the catch in the NFL too.
Jalin Hyatt is all gas, no brakes. The ‘22 Biletnikoff Award Winner was the nation’s most explosive playmaker. Hyatt holds the Tennessee school records for single-game touchdown receptions (5 vs. Alabama on 10/15 ‘22) and single-season receiving touchdowns (15 in ‘22). Of his 108 career catches, 52 went for 10+ yards, 30 for 20+ yards, 21 for 30+ yards, and 12 for 40+ yards. (Source: Tennessee) In my opinion, he’ll be taken in the 1st round of the draft, but scouts may be skeptical that Hyatt really only has one year of elite college production. Tennessee WR Coach Kelsey Pope said this past Aug ‘22, “Jalin Hyatt is like a different person this year. Impressing early. Put on 8-10 pounds in weight and continue to improve.” The added muscle during the offseason from hard work certainly played a key factor in his breakout season. For Jets fans, an easy player comparison as a floor for Hyatt would be Robbie Anderson. If Hyatt is able to add more than just the 4.2 40-time straight-line speed into his game, he may be Scary Terry McLaurin good or maybe even better - why place ceilings on a hard-working 21-year-old?
Trenton Simpson was a ‘22 Dick Butkus Award and Lott IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity) semifinalist. His 4.39 40-time speed as a linebacker makes him extremely versatile. Although he at times may struggle in pass coverage, Simpson has great pass rush instinct from a stand-up linebacker. In ‘20 and ‘21, he combined for 10 sacks. He may have only had 2.5 sacks last season, but Simpson can hold his own as a chess piece on defense and at times line up essentially as a safety for Clemson. He may not have been able to guard Gronk back in the day, but luckily for the Jets, they don’t really face a future Hall of Fame TE today within their division. I could see Simpson being a very useful defender as a QB spy on Josh Allen.
Antonio Johnson was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week and Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week honors after recording 13 tackles in the ‘22 win against Arkansas. (Source: The 12th Man) His sophomore season of ‘21 was what put Johnson on the NFL scouting map. He 58 tackles, 18 assists, and had 26 stops (the total number of plays by a defensive player that prevent a successful play by the offense, defined as 45% of needed yards on first down, 60% of needed yards on second down, and 100% of needed yards on third or fourth down, according to Football Outsiders). In coverage, he totaled one pass breakup, one interception, and an impressive QB rating of 71.2 when targeted against. Johnson regressed in ‘22 a bit in terms of coverage (91.2), but still kept to par in run defense with 55 tackles, 16 assists, and 28 stops. His 6’3” size should help the 21-year-old fill out into a very physically imposing safety one day.
Devon Achane in ‘22 was named All-SEC First-Team Running Back, All-SEC First-Team All-Purpose Player, and an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Semifinalist. He started his career with the Aggies at an 8.5-yards per carry clip in ‘20. His yards per carry took regressed a bit in ‘21 to a 7.5 yards per carry clip, before falling off a cliff to a 5.6 yards per carry last year. @YouTheReader any RB who runs above 4.5 yards per carry in a game likely had a great day on the ground, so anything above 5 yards per carry on a season is absurd. Achane also returned kicks at Texas A&M, averaging 30.6 yards per return (well above average) and scoring 2 TDs. Achane would be a very scary addition to an offense in Miami that already had so much speed at the playmaking position.
Nolan Smith’s ‘22 season was cut short due to a torn pec, but entering the season he was named to preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy (nation's top interior lineman) and Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defender). (Source: Georgia) While his career stat line may look a bit underwhelming, 11.5 sacks in 46 games in Athens, NFL scouts may point to Travon Walker from last year as a reason to take Smith in the first two days of the NFL Draft. Like Walker, Smith has some rare athletic combination of traits that could be further developed as he matures as a pass rusher in the pros. Expect scouts to drool over his 4.5 40-time speed, but he’ll need to be coached up some to fine-tune his pass rush moves.
Dalton Kincaid started his college career at San Diego State before transferring east to Utah. As an Aztec Warrior, Kincaid led the nation’s TEs in yards per catch in ‘19 (18.98), ranked 2nd in the nation among TEs in receiving yards (835) and receiving yards per game (69.6). With the Utes, Kincaid continued his impressive college career by becoming the active career leader among tight ends in the FBS with 2,484 receiving yards and 35 receiving touchdowns. (Source: Utah Utes) His ‘22 season gave him All-Pac-12 first-team honors. Kincaid grew up playing basketball before shifting his focus to playing TE, so like most of those types, he may not be much of a blocker but has the potential to be a very solid secondary option as a WR in a TE’s body.
Clark Phillips III’s ‘22 season was littered with awards. He was a consensus All-American, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, and the AP Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Phillips started every game he played and had 9 career interceptions, including a school-record-tying 4 that were returned for TDs. (Source: Utah Utes) He also had an impressive 30 career pass breakups in only 31 career games. At 5’10”, he may be best suited to play the nickel back position in the pros, but that shouldn’t be too big of an issue as he has experience playing on the outside as well as in nickel as a Ute. Per PFF, his 6 INTs while playing man coverage in ‘22 were the most among CBs.
Keeanu Benton by all accounts on the internet had a great week at the Senior Bowl last week. Benton had such a good week of practicing and playing in front of NFL coaches and scouts that Steeler’s scout (and former very good CB), Ike Taylor, praised Benton. “There is no limit or ceiling for him. Keanu just dominated and then you see the short amount of space between the center and the guards how much they can work with and it’s little to nothing for him.” At the start of the week, the consensus view for Benton was that he was a very solid run defender, but not much was to be expected as a pass rusher. Expect Benton’s draft stock to continue to rise.
Derick Hall was a 3-year starter for the War Eagles and was voted team captain by his teammates. He followed up a 9-sack season in ‘21 with 7 in ‘22. The coaches of the SEC named him First Team All-SEC and he was honored with the national Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award from the Premier Players Foundation of Tampa. Hall is “active in campus service efforts, he jumps in wherever he can use his influence to help, whether it's enlisting students to attend basketball games, providing water to those in need in his home state of Mississippi, or donating a turkey, toys, and Halloween candy to the families of his hometown of Gulfport, Miss. ‘I want to give back to my community any way I can because I've been blessed,’ Hall said. ‘Community service has always been a priority to me, coming from a place where I know what it's like to see a single mother struggle and have to make ends meet. I feel like it is my priority to use the platform I have to help and serve others! Why not give back when I have the ability to do so?’” (Source: Auburn) His on and off-the-field production should work great on the gridiron as well as in his community.
Mekhi Garner transferred to LSU after playing 3 seasons for the Cajuns at Louisiana-Lafayette. He immediately took over a starting spot at CB for the Tigers playing in all 13 regular season games. His size (6’2”), speed (low 4.5 40-time), and hard-hitting ability combination may make Garner better suited for safety in the NFL. His run support and ability to play better off coverage, make him a prime candidate for a position change. In the 3rd Round, teams can start taking on “project” players who may be better off playing a different position in the pros.
KJ Henry was a charismatic team leader who was voted by his teammates as a permanent team captain. As a 5th year senior, when he departed from Clemson for the NFL, his 58 career games were the most ever by a Clemson defensive end. The AP named KJ Henry to their All-ACC team. While his sack totals for his career may seem a bit underwhelming (13 sacks in 58 games), Henry in ‘22 had 9 tackles for loss as well as 6 pass deflections where he batted the ball down at the line of scrimmage. His other underlying stats include 23 total pressures, which included 13 QB hurries, 5 QB hits in ‘21, and 50 total pressures, which included 31 QB hurries, 14 QB hits in ‘22; so there is a possibility that the pass-rushing stats could improve with a little bit of luck.
Luke Schoonmaker was named twice to the All-Big Ten Team. He shared Most Improved Player (Offense) honors in ‘21. (Source: MGoBlue.com) Schoonmaker could be Mike Gesicki’s replacement if the Dolphins don’t retain him. The only difference is Michigan’s 5th-year Senior is more of a block-first type of TE. An Anthony Fasano type?
Andrew Vorhees appeared in 44 games during his career for the Trojans. He made 25 starts at right guard, 8 starts at left guard, and 4 starts at left tackle. (Source: USC) At 6’6” and 325 lbs, Vorhees according to the USC strength coach, Bennie Wylie, can bench 225 40 times. That doesn’t sound too surprising based on the limited clips&film I’ve seen on him. His versatility and experience in different spots on the offensive line should make him a Day 2 pick.
DeMarvion Overshown was named to the first-team All-Big 12 at linebacker by conference coaches and the AP in ‘22. The Super Senior Longhorn had 96 tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 sacks, 2 QB hurries, and 5 pass breakups last season. (Source: Texas) Overshown will likely need to put on weight in the NFL as a 220 lbs linebacker, but his 6’4” height and 4.5 40-time speed should make him a plus defender in coverage against athletic TEs and RBs.
Henry To’oTo’o earned first-team All-SEC honors from the league coaches. He was a true leader on a Nick Saban defense which almost certainly stands out for NFL scouts. Like most Saban LBs, To’oTo’o seems to have good instincts at linebacker which makes up for him being a bit undersized. He has some real athleticism but didn’t have much production in either pass coverage or pass rush.
Dorian Williams was a 3-year starter at Tulane who broke out in ‘20 as a sophomore when he had 15.5 TFLs. In his senior year in ‘22, Williams had a career-high in tackles (132), sacks (5), and INTs (2). Unlike the two previous LBs mentioned in the last two picks, Williams is a small-school linebacker who played for a team that went 15-22 from ‘19 to ‘21 before he led their defense his senior year to a 12-2 record. Tulane in ‘22 was ranked as high as #9 by the AP, the first time they have been ranked since 1998.
Kendre Miller broke out in his ‘22 junior season, running for 1342 yards on 216 attempts for 6.2 yards per, with 17 TDs. At 6’ and 220 pounds, Miller’s bruising style would make for a nice complement to Saquon Barkley’s backfield. The TCU Bullfrog was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation's top running back.
Byron Young in ‘22 was All-SEC First Team (Coaches) and All-SEC Second Team (AP). Started his college career at a Junior College - Georgia Military College. Young is an inspirational story - due to COVID-19, he did not receive any Power Five offers until late fall of ‘20. He moved from his native South Carolina to the Columbus, Georgia, area and served as an assistant manager at Dollar General for approximately 18 months before earning a spot at Georgia Military College through a tryout. (Source: Tennessee) Once he became a Volunteer, Young had 12.5 combined sacks between ‘21&’22. A pretty cool story that I didn’t know prior to writing this, rooting for this guy now.
In ‘22 Nathaniel Dell was named a Team Captain of his Houston Cougars squad. He also led the nation in receiving yards (1,398) and receiving touchdowns (17). The only thing that may hold back Nathaniel “Tank” Dell from being drafted earlier is he only weighs 165 pounds. Even if the slight frame may deter teams from drafting Tank as the focal point of their offense, his speed and twitch should at least make him an above-average NFL punt returner.
Byron Young here is not a typo. There are two Byron Youngs in this draft class and the Patriots Computer-Simulated both of them to New England. This Byron Young was named first-team All-SEC by the AP, started all 13 games in ‘22 where he totaled 48 tackles, including 5.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, had 6 QB pressures, 2 pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Byron Young from Alabama was able to physically overpower defenders in college, but will likely need to add more pass rush skill set to be effective in the pros.
Deuce Vaughn was a Consensus All-American in ‘21-’22. He was also named 22 First Team All-American (all-purpose) by the AP. Left K-State ranking third nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (135.92), fourth in all-purpose plays per game (20.92), fifth in total all-purpose yards (5,029) and total touchdowns scored (43), sixth in all-purpose plays (774), eighth in rushing yards per game (97.4) and rush per game (17.59), and 11th in rushing touchdowns (34). Vaughn is just 1 of 5 players since 1996 to tally 3,600 rushing yards and 1,250 receiving yards in a career but did so in just 37 games. The others on the list are Tulane’s Mewelde Moore (44 games), Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray (50 games), Southern Miss’ Ito Smith (51 games), and Louisiana’s Elijah McGuire (51 games). (Source: Kansas State) This guy might be really special to pair along with Sunshine and ET.
Alright, I’m just doing the Jets in Rounds 5 + 6 this week.
Riley Moss was voted a permanent team captain for the ‘22 season. He won Iowa’s Hustle Award in ‘21 and ‘22. Moss was first-team All-Big Ten by coaches and second-team All-Big Ten by the AP. In his 54 games as a Hawkeye, Moss started in 40 of them, had 37 pass breakups, 11 INTs, and scored 3 defensive TDs. Moss has vertical-jumped 42 inches and broad-jumped 10-8. We’re told he has clocked the fastest short shuttle time for DBs in Kirk Ferentz’s two decades-plus at Iowa, blazing through it in 3.85 seconds.
Jack Colletto was the Paul Hornung Award Winner in ‘22. That is an award granted to recognize and reward versatile, high-level performers in College Football. Colletto was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team (all-purpose) and a Campbell Trophy Nominee (Academic Heisman). The Beaver that does it all started his college career at Arizona Western College in ‘17. It was there when he first was used in the Wild Cat packages on offense where he threw for 5 TDs and 548 passing yards while also rushing for 185 yards and 9 TDs. Throughout his then 5 year career at Oregon State, Colletto played on all 3 phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams). In his career at Oregon State, he accumulated 401 rushing yards with 22 TDs, 254 passing yards, 37 receiving yards with 1 TD, and on defense & special teams he had 1 career INT with 51 tackles. He also has experience as a personal protector on punts where he successfully converted punt fakes. Although he may not have the skill set to ever be a starter in the NFL, his versatility and willingness to play wherever to get on the field could make him an asset in the 6th Round. He is pretty much a jack-of-all-trades positionless player who at worst on a Sunday is your last guy dressed who plays special teams and at best is there for the team in a pinch if any of the position groups suffered devasting injuries on any given Sunday.