Mock Draft Monday 3/17 '25
If I Ever Leave This World Alive
If I Ever Leave This World Alive | March Madness Bracket Breakdown | Giants & Jets Mock Draft | YouTube Rabbithole
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day,
Today’s tune is Flogging Molly’s If I Ever Leave This World Alive.
Opening lines are about giving thanks and cherishing the times you spend with your people.
Of course, like loads of Irish tunes, there’s a hint of a sad tone, but ultimately, it turns happy….
One of my many favorite Saint Patrick’s Day tunes! More to come this week.
On to the sports…
South Region
Final 4 Team: Michigan State
My Cinderella: Yale
Player to watch: Donovan Dent, G, New Mexico
- Auburn draws a potentially tough Round of 32 matchup with Louisville and their good guards or Creighton’s big man Ryan Kalkbrenner. Bruce Pearl & Johni Broome should advance, but no gimme.
- I like quite a few double-digit seeds in this quadrant of the bracket. UC San Diego won the Big West with a 30-4 record. 4 of their starters average double-digit points per game, one being Hayden Gray, who also leads the nation in theft with 3.2 steals per game. Yale is another potential Cinderella squad, as they are led by the crafty lefty guard John Poulakadis. The Ivy Leaguer averaged 19 points per game this season after his 28 points upset Auburn in the Opening Round of last March Madness.
- I have no idea where Lipscomb University is on a map, but I sure as hell know their Big Man Jacob Ognacevic is a double-double machine (20.1 points & 8.1 rebounds per game), so I’ll take them too. Like Ognacevic, New Mexico’s Donovan Dent was one of just 20 players this season to average 20 or more points in the regular season. Dent is more of an old-school guard who slashes to the rim more often than he shoots from deep.
- All of that said, I’ll take Michigan State and Tom Izzo making it to the Final Four here. Izzo has led the Spartans to 27 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and is seeking his 9th Final Four run, which would tie him with Roy Williams for 4th all-time.
West Region
Final 4 Team: St. John’s
My Cinderella: Drake University
Player to watch: Derik Queen, C, Maryland
- Norfolk State, led by Harlem’s own Brian Moore Jr., will get a chance at slaying the Gator Goliath right after they just won the SEC Tournament.
- I would never bet against UConn in March. After winning back-to-back National Championships, the Huskies will attempt to be the first program since John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins Dynasty years to 3-peat.
- Memphis could be dangerous this March as their top 2 players are a problem. The Tigers’ G PJ Haggerty, with his 21.8 points per game, is the highest-scoring player of the NCAA Tournament this March. Haggerty also has an emerging sidekick in F Dain Dainja. In Dainja’s last 7 games, the Memphis Big Man is averaging 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
- Speaking of dominant big men, Derik Queen of Maryland is a name to know. The freshman center averages 16.3 points and 9 rebounds per game. He not only has a wide range of post moves on the block but can regularly beat other bigs off the dribble as well. He has a fun game.
- Drizzy’s floor general, Bennett Stirtz, grew up outside Kansas City and gets a chance to upset his home state’s school. Stirtz is only a year removed from playing D2 college hoops at Northwest Missouri State, so you know he’ll have a chip on his shoulder.
- Lastly of the West Region, I’m rooting heavily for a St. John’s vs Arkansas matchup in the Round of 32. Rick Pitino vs John Calipari would add an extra juicy element on the sidelines. The potential game would be set in Rhode Island. Both coaches have a history up there as they each coached Providence. These two also had plenty of battles while Pitino was at Louisville and Cal was at Kentucky. They don’t like each other.
East Region
Final 4 Team: Duke
My Cinderella: BYU
Player to watch: Cooper Flagg, F, Duke
- To start the tournament, all eyes will be on how the future #1 overall pick of the NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, looks on his return after a gruesome ankle injury. Duke overcame the injury scare by still winning the ACC Tournament, which earned them the top #1 seed. They’ll potentially face a Baylor team that may have underperformed in the regular season but still has plenty of talent. Notably, Baylor has former Duke transfer Jeremy Roach in their backcourt, who will seek revenge on the Blue Devils.
- Oregon vs Arizona would potentially feature a pair of star seniors in Oregon’s C Nate Brittle against Arizona’s G Caleb Love. The former PAC-12 matchup would be fun.
- BYU averages 10.8 3-pointers per game while shooting an efficient 37.8% from beyond the arc. They are the elite shooting team that can make a run if they catch fire from 3.
- Does Mark Sears and Grant Nelson have yet another deep March Madness run in them? I believe so, Roll Tide.
Midwest Region
Final 4 Team: Tennessee
My Cinderella: Illinois
Player to watch: Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee
- Since 2010, Gonzaga has won at least 1 game in the NCAA Tournament every season. As an 8-seed, they’re a bit lower than usual, but Mark Few has beaten quite a few football schools in his day.
- After shaping their entire offense around Zach Edey the past couple of seasons, it’s pretty remarkable that Purdue has developed Braden Smith into the National Player of the Year conversation. Smith averaged 9 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game on Purdue’s run to the National Title Game last season. Expect the junior guard to be asked to score more if they are to make another run.
- Illinois would be a fun school to root for those who remember the days of Peja Stojaković. The former Kings 3-point assassin has a son named Andrej. The young Stojaković is more guard-oriented and can create his own shot rather than just catch-n-shoot like his dad. I think he can slay Kentucky, the Wildcats always fold in March.
- Lastly, out of the Midwest Region, my Final Four team is Tennessee. Their senior G Chaz Lanier is a walking bucket with a wide assortment of moves and a great jump shot.
Full Bracket
I got Duke winning the National Championship over St. John’s.
This week’s NFL Mock Draft features all 7 Rounds of the New York Football franchises…
1st Round
- After whiffing at QB in free agency, the Giants need to draft one with the 3rd pick. Love him or hate him, Shedeur Sanders finished college as the all-time leader with a completion percentage of 71.8%. While a lot of that may have come from hanging onto the football too long, which led to unnecessary sacks, he’s also an extremely accurate thrower of the football and routinely made very difficult NFL throws at Colorado. Deion would be giddy.
- After a quiet free agency period, the Jets patch up their defensive line by adding a Mason Graham. Playing alongside Quinnen Williams would make a major difference to the defensive front. Graham is the closest thing to a sure-thing prospect and reminds many scouts of a young Aaron Donald.
2nd Round
- Grey Zabel has plenty of experience as a 4-year starter at North Dakota State. The Bison offensive lineman played all over their offensive line, playing 2 years as a Guard, 1 year as a Right Tackle, and last season at Left Tackle. In 1,137 career pass blocking situations, Zabel allowed just 4 sacks and 6 QB Hits. Zabel could potentially play Right Tackle if the Giants decide to move Evan Neal inside or fill a Guard spot in ‘25.
- At 6’5” and 335 lbs., Cameron Williams is the prototypical size to play Right Tackle in the NFL. One concern of his that could have him fall to the 2nd Round is he’s only got 1 year of starting experience at Texas. Nonetheless, Williams has plenty of potential as a big mauler to play tackle opposite the Jets’ blindside with Olu Fashanu.
3rd Round
- TJ Sanders racked up a total of 10 sacks and 68 tackles the past couple of seasons as a defensive tackle at South Carolina. Sanders could be an upgrade over DJ Davidson as the interior lineman next to Dexter Lawrence. The Giants were awarded another 3rd Round pick for compensation in losing Saquon Barkley. With that pick I have them landing their new Running Back in Cam Skattebo. Last season, Skattebo forced an insane 103 missed tackles, as the brute runner is tough to take down. Not only can Skattebo beat defenders with power, but he also has a decent set of wheels, clocking in at 22 mph with the ball at one point this season.
- Harold Fannin Jr. led all the land in catches (117) and receiving yards (1,555) last season. The Bowling Green TE broke out his junior season, scoring 10 TDs as well. While his 4.71 40-time may not have been too impressive at the NFL Combine, Fannin Jr. showed plenty of speed in actual games. At 6’4” and 230 lbs., Fannin Jr. lined about one-third of the time in the slot, out wide, and in-line at TE. He kind of reminds me a bit of Dustin Keller before Ray Lewis destroyed his soul on Monday Night Football. With Tyler Conklin not yet re-signed, Fannin Jr. can compete with Jeremy Ruckert for snaps as the starter.
4th Round
- Alongside TJ Sanders, Dexter Lawrence II, and Brian Burns, Ashton Gillotte would be an excellent 4th piece to the Giants’ defensive line unit. In his 4 seasons at Louisville, Gillotte racked up 25 career sacks and 102 quarterback hurries. Gillotte is a versatile lineman in that he has the speed to rush from the edge and enough power to be moved into the interior on pass-rushing situations. Nicknamed “Beware of the Hair”, Gillotte has long hair so that adds another element too.
- With their 4th Round selection, the Jets take an edge pass rusher with Antwaun Powell-Ryland. After 3 seasons as a backup with Florida, Powell-Ryland transferred to the Hokies in ‘23 and collected 24 sacks the past couple of seasons as their starter. The Virginia Tech pass rusher has more stock than length, but a wide array of pass rush moves to pair opposite Will McDonald.
5th Round
- In the 5th Round, I got the Jets taking a shot on 2 skill position players. While Oronde Gadsden II is listed as a Tight End, the 6’5” pass catcher lined up most of the time in the slot (58.3% in ‘24) during his time at Syracuse. Gadsden and Fannin Jr. would give Justin Fields two big-bodied weapons to throw to. Along the lines of Brashard Smith, the Jets may not necessarily need another RB, but he’d be tough to pass up as a Day 3 pick. Smith began his career as a WR and Kick Returner for Miami before transferring to SMU to play RB in Lane Kiffin’s offense. His pass-catching and return skills would add another element to their RB room.
- The G-Men take their 2nd QB of the Draft with Riley Leonard. The Notre Dame signal caller is a more effective rusher than a passer. Leonard likely won’t ever be an NFL starter, but at least his running ability could make him a decent backup in a pinch.
6th Round
- In the 6th Round, I got the Jets going with another big body pass catcher in Nick Nash. The 6’3” WR played exclusively in the slot last season with San Jose State as he caught 104 passes for 1,382 yards and 16 TDs. Nash is a QB converted to WR, so he’s a bit older at 25 years old compared to most draft prospects. Given the fact that he’s very comfortable throwing the football, Nash may could also be used as a gadget player sorta like the days of Brad Smith. With the Jets’ last pick of the ‘25 NFL Draft, Taylor Elgersma becomes the team’s new QB development project. The college Canadian QB has a highlight tape that looks very similar to Josh Allen’s at Wyoming, so there’s that.
7th Round
