She Will | March Madness Sweet 16 | Jets 7 Round Mock | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune on this March Madness Mock Draft Monday is She Will by Lil Wayne featuring Drake. It was on Lil Wayne’s Carter IV album released in ‘11 and this single peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This song ran the New York radio airwaves on the likes of Hot 97.1 and Power 105.1 back when I got my license. We’re skipping over Drake’s chorus because the focus on this one is Lil Wayne’s lines that help a bit with creativity.
Sidenote: Drake needs to respond to Kendrick Lamar with a Lil Wayne flick of a lighter type beat like this. For the culture, the streets (I think at least what Twitter says) are watching. Get Drizzy in the booth, hip-hop needs Rivalries for Revival.
Lil Wayne was fileting his verses in Hell’s Kitchen. I’ve also Stumbled Along Hell’s Kitchen, just not with an apron or hair net. I had my Pen&Paper and Paddy hat…
I hope Lil Wayne chose forgiveness, however, there are certainly some sins that you can’t forget.
I swear that Kate Upton below was the only GIF I could find of someone hula-hooping on a beach.
Week to Week Notes has me dangling my feet every post. This week some more jokes were had in the comment section. I haven’t gone shopping in years, but I’ve done plenty of doing while some of the peanut gallery have some not-nice things to say. Luckily, I rock to the beat of my playlist and I wasn’t going to let it ruin a Humble & Kind weekend. Week to Week Notes certainly ain’t at the top of Sports Media, but alls I can do is try to be on top of my game with the Notes.
Typing tough never gets you anywhere in life so don’t worry I’ll just let the work I put in do the talking and prominently feature the visuals. Can’t wait!
Well, I have no clue if the Swifties are reading but I’m sure a few of them may have checked in with Taylor Swift’s Tim McGraw Note. I did put my 2 cents into boosting it and hopefully one day I’ll get a dollar back. Not worth thinking too much about that, I’m just blessed to do something that I genuinely enjoy. I’ve already done too many “I”’s for this post, I’d prefer to be more about you.
In the grand scheme of things, the @You_The_Reader account may look like a little silly thing that people can dump on, but in the past 90 days since Christmas Day, we’ve reached 127k people. A lot more work to do, but decent reach. You know what they say, maybe don’t judge a book by its cover.
Be blind to the bullshit, great line!
On to March Madness…
Tonight at 8 PM ET, Caitlin Clark and Iowa take on West Virginia. You can watch it on ESPN, I already got my grandparents hooked on hoops. Maybe they’ll DVR it?
Sidenote: @NCAA an 8 PM ET is okay and I’m going to sound like an old guy here but was the 10:10 PM ET tipoff of San Diego State and Yale necessary? We had all day Sunday for games, what in the heck was that all about?
Now that we got that sorted, the Men’s March Madness Tournament is 2 Rounds in, here is an updated Sweet 16 onward prediction for how the rest of the Tournament will shake out. Surely, it can’t get any worse than my original bracket…
East Region
UConn vs. SDSU
UConn and San Diego State have danced in March twice. Last year they played each other in the NCAA Championship, which was technically April, when the Huskies won 76-59. While some of the players from last year’s final moved on to the NBA or graduated, there are still some stars on both sides. UConn’s leading scorer this season, SG Tristen Newton, had 19 points and 10 rebounds last time these teams met. Newton will be coming off a 20-point performance against Northwestern, where UConn had the game won by halftime. Despite shooting just 3 of 22 from beyond the arc, the Huskies manufactured 75 points. Their center, Donovan Clingan, had a monster of a game with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots against the Wildcats. Last year, San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee was more of a 6th man and role player for the Aztecs as he averaged 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. This year has been a different story for the senior PF who now averages a team-high 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. Like clockwork, LeDee had an efficient 26 points on 9 of 12 field goals with 9 boards to defeat Yale on Sunday night. UConn will certainly have to key on LeDee and hit some more 3s in this one, but I don’t see the Huskies rolling over.
Iowa State vs Illinois
Iowa State and Illinois have never matched up in March. These two midwest programs have played each other 12 times in the past going back to 1957 as Illinois has won 9 of the matchups. In his past 5 games, Illini senior guard, Terrence Shannon Jr, has averaged 31.6 points per game. The Cyclone will have to key in on the lefty guard. Iowa State plays one of the best defenses in College Hoops, holding their opponents to 4th lowest points in the nation at 61.2 per game. They have a few options of who to guard Shannon Jr as they could stick PG Tamin Lipsey (2.7 steals per game), or go with more height with either guards Keshon Gilbert (1.9 steals) and Curtis Jones (1.4 steals). I’ll take Iowa State’s top-notch defense over one of the most prolific offenses in College Hoops.
West Region
North Carolina vs Alabama
North Carolina and Alabama have danced in March 4 times. The biggest matchup they had was in the Sweet 16 in 1982 when a freshman named Michael Jordan scored 11 points. Since 1955, these 2 schools tipped off against one another 11 times with UNC coming out on top of 6 of them. The Tar Heels are coming off 2 straight double-digit wins with RJ Davis (no relation) leading the way in scoring and Armando Bacot leading the team in rebounding. So far this tourney, UNC has shot 43% from beyond the arc. ‘Bama on the other hand has played Charleston and Grand Canyon in games that were closer than the final score dictates. Senior PG Mark Sears has been great thus far, scoring 30 and 26 points while shooting 47% from 3. His between-the-legs step-back 3 in the 2nd half vs Grand Canyon was ice in veins. Great job by whoever was working the camera to catch his parents’ reaction. Sears’ mother celebrated as his father looked on like “Damn, my son is cold AF” was priceless. I’ll take ‘Bama in this one, Roll Tide.
Arizona vs Clemson
Arizona and Clemson have only danced in March once, back in the 2nd Round of 1989 when Sean Elliot beat Elden Campbell and Dale Davis. No relation with Dale Davis in case you’re wondering. The Arizona Wildcats are led by the backcourt play of Pelle Larsson (44% from 3, 12.9 ppg) and Caleb Love (18.1 ppg). With 9 March Madness games under his belt when you combine his days at UNC, Caleb Love is now averaging 17.8 ppg in the tournament. As for Clemson, the Tigers hung out in a close 2nd Round matchup against Baylor. Their 5th-year senior guard, Chase Hunter, has led the team in both of their tourney games so far with 20 and 21 points. Hunter only scored 20 points once in the regular season and before this year only reached that 20-point mark in a handful of games. His contribution has been clutch, especially with the momentum the team got from his 1st half-double-clutch buzzer-beater against Baylor. Clemson will need a bit more in the scoring and rebounding column out of PJ Hall. The senior center has only collected 6 boards in 2 games, but if they can get more out of him and the continued strong play from Chase Hunter, we get a Sweet 16 upset. I’ll go with the Tigers.
South Region
Houston/Texas A&M vs Duke
Duke and Houston have never faced one another on a basketball court. There is a first time for everything. The Houston Cougars are on a 16-game winning streak and play the toughest defense in all of the land. They allow 56.7 points per game. Against Texas A&M last night, they got a big game from sophomore guard, Emanuel Sharp, who scored a career-high 30 points with 7 3-pointers made. Houston nearly gave the game to the Aggies by missing free throws and getting into foul trouble. Aggie guard Andersson Garcia nearly had the shot of the tournament as he sent the game to OT on a buzzer-beater to tie it. Before their game with the Aggies, Houston had not allowed more than 69 points in regulation all season. Duke’s freshman guard, Jared McCain, caught fire from beyond the arc against JMU. He hit 6 3-pointers in the first half and a total of 8 on the night. The Blue Devils were up 22 points at the half and never looked back against the Dukes, cruising to victory. Duke is one of the top offenses in College Hoops this season, averaging 1.152 points per possession (good for 11th in the nation). JMU this season was 2nd best in the nation in guarding the 3-point shot with opponents shooting 28.9% from 3. Houston is also elite at defending the 3-ball as they were 9th allowing opponents to only shoot 29.8%. I’ll go with Houston’s defense figuring it out after a close game and running the Blue Devils off long-range shots.
Marquette vs NC State
Marquette and NC State have faced off once in March Madness with the Wolfpack coming out on top in the 1974 NCAA Final. NC State’s David Thompson, who would go on to be the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, led the scoring in that game with 21 points. Overall these 2 teams have faced off 5 times with NC State winning 3 of them. Marquette today is led by their pair of lefty guards, PG Tyler Kolek (15.1 ppg, 7.8 assists) and SG Kam Jones (17.1 ppg). NC State found lightning in a bottle right at the perfect time in March. After losing 4 straight to close out their regular season, the Wolfpack won 5 straight in the ACC Tournament to secure their automatic bid. NC State has played great down the stretch in large part due to the play of their large man, DJ Burns Jr. Against Oakland last game, the 6’9” and 275 lbs. power forward had 24 dominant points to go with 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Burns Jr. is one of the cool March Madness stories that deserves the spotlight. I’ll join their Wolfpack here and go with NC State.
Midwest Region
Purdue vs Gonzaga
Purdue and Gonzaga met once in March back in the ‘00 Sweet 16 where Purdue won. Brian Cardinal, who had a decent NBA career as a bench player, had 10 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists in that matchup. These 2 schools have faced off twice in the past 2 November with Purdue winning both games. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have one of the most efficient offenses in College Hoops as they score 1.181 points per possession, good for 3rd in the Nation. Their biggest problem with that is they are facing the 4th most efficient offenses, as Purdue averages 1.178 points per possession. Purdue also has Zach Edey, who in the last 2 games against the Zags has averaged 24 points and 10.5 rebounds against them. I’ll stick with Purdue.
Tennessee vs Creighton
Tennessee and Creighton have not only never met in March, these two schools have never played each other on a court. Both of these teams are coming off of close 2nd Round matchups and after winning convincingly in the opening round. Tennessee is led by their lefty senior guard Dalton Knecht who connected with a thunderous throwdown over the Longhorns last game. After spending most of his collegiate career in JUCO and the University of Northern Colorado, Knecht has shined on the biggest college basketball stage by leading the Volunteers in points & rebounds in back-to-back tournament games. Creighton won a double-OT game over Oregon. Their 3-man backcourt of Steven Ashworth, Baylor Scheierman, and Trey Alexander combined to score 59 points, but it was the 3-pointer made by C Ryan Kalbrenner that would end up being the dagger that sent the Ducks packing. Kalbrenner played 49 minutes, only subbing out at the end of the game in which he had 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 block shots. I’ll give the edge to the Bluejays here, as they seem to be a bit more of a complete team.
NY Jets 7 Round Mock
Apologies again to the fans of other teams, but this week we’re focusing on just the Jets in a 7 Round Mock Draft. They do not have a 2nd Round or 5th Rounder this year due to trades but have multiple 4ths & 7ths.
In this scenario, the Big 3 QBs to first (Williams, Maye, Daniels). Then it’s followed by the Big 3 WRs (Harrison Jr, Nabers, Odunze). Followed by the 2 tackles (Alt & Oly) and the first defensive player taken (Dallas Turner). Aaron Rodgers gets the top TE. The Jets’ offense (on paper) would be as the kids used to say “filthy.”
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. 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 will immediately be one of the most explosive once he makes the no-fun league.
Xavier Legette had a monster season in ‘23. He was seldom used in the passing game in his 4 years prior at South Carolina. Being that he only has one year of production and is already 23 years old, he could very likely slip to the 3rd Round, but he could make an immediate impact on the Jets.
Xavier Legette is from Mullins, South Carolina, so the Gamecocks must’ve been an easy choice close to home. In high school, Leggette played QB as a senior and rushed for 1,826 yards with 19 TDs. Once he entered college, South Carolina switched him over to WR and one of the team’s return men. Since his freshman season, Legette has returned kick-offs. As a freshman in ‘19, he averaged 28.2 yards per return. As a senior in ‘22, Leggette had his best year in South Carolina. He made 7 starts at WR and continued to return kicks. At WR he had 18 catches for 167 yards and 3 TDs. As a kick returner, the veteran athletic player returned 15 kicks for 441 yards, which set a school record of a 29.4-yard average with 1 TD. This past season, the 5th-year senior was used more in the Gamecocks passing game as he set career highs in receptions (71), yards (1,255), and TDs (7). Legette has legit NFL Sunday speed. NFL teams will want him to return kicks and be a big play-speed threat. He was one of the fastest players in college football.
Adding Audric Estime to the backfield of Breece Hall would give the Jets two big workhorse backs that possess a set of wheels. While Estime may not have been used much in the Notre Dame passing game, he would help out the ground game. He’s the only RB I’m taking in this Mock so the Jets would have to add a pass-catcher RB veteran or a UDFA as a backup in that department.
Audric Estime is from Nyack, New York, and played high school ball for St. Joe’s in Montvale, New Jersey. He was named New Jersey Football Player of the Year in ‘20 as he had a monster senior season with 1,857 rushing yards and 22 TDs. After a freshman season in ‘21 where he was depth behind RB Kyren Williams (now on the LA Rams), Estime broke out last year with 920 rushing yards and 11 TDs. He ran for an impressive average of 5.9 yards per carry. This past season, Estime has picked up right where he left off as the workhorse RB for the Fightin’ Irish. The Rockland County product was an AP 2nd Team All-American rushing for 1,341 yards and setting a new Notre Dame record with 18 rushing TDs. At 6’1” and 215 lbs., Estime has the size to be a workhorse RB in the NFL.
The Jets will need to replace Jordan Whitehead at Safety and that is where Cole Bishop would come along. The safety out of Utah is more of a strong in-the-box type rather than a center-field free one. He is a hard hitter and sure-tackler that the Jets could use to blitz from time to time.
Cole Bishop is from Peachtree City, Georgia. Out of high school, he was a 3-star prospect, but he worked his way into the Utes starting lineup for the last 6 games of his freshman year. That year he was named a PAC-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention as he racked up 54 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. During his sophomore season, Bishop earned 13 more starts and was once again a PAC-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention as he improved statistically with a team-high 83 tackles to go with 6 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and his first INT. This past season at Utah, Bishop earned 2nd Team PAC-12 All-Conference. He dealt with some injuries toward the tail-end of the season while getting 60 more tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and he came down with 2 INTs. His 9.5 third-down stops led the team so he came up clutch. PFF College gave him a 60.9 pass coverage grade, but he scored excellent throughout his career as a blitzer.
The FSU QB is still not fully recovered from an injury he suffered late last fall. This may have him slip a bit in the NFL Draft, but if he is around in the 6th Round, Jordan Travis would be an excellent guy to have in the Jets QB room this year as he could essentially be put on the IR, save the team a roster spot, and soak up what comes with being in the presence of Aaron Rodgers.
Jordan Travis is from West Palm Beach, Florida. He comes from a family of athletes as his older brother, Devon Travis, played for the Toronto Blue Jays for 4 seasons. In high school, Jordan Travis was a 3-star prospect and his first school was Louisville. As a freshman in ‘18 with the Cardinals, Travis played in 3 games as a backup so he was eligible to redshirt. He transferred to Florida State in ‘19 and while he was again a backup QB, he became the first Seminole to complete a 60-yard pass & have a 60-yard rush in the same game. During the COVID season, all NCAA athletes received an extra year of eligibility, and Travis made 6 starts with 6 passing TDs to go with 7 rushing TDs. He made 8 more starts in ‘21, this time throwing for 15 TDs with 7 more rushing scores. His breakout season as a passer came in ‘22, when he threw for 3,214 yards to go with 24 TDs. That earned him 2nd Team All-ACC behind Drake Maye. This past season, Jordan Travis was enjoying his best season yet as 11 games in FSU was undefeated with him throwing for 2,756 yards and 20 TDs before suffering a gruesome leg injury. He still earned the ACC Player of the Year despite the injury cutting his season short. He entered college as a run-first QB and has left as a dual threat who has thrown 44 TDs to just 7 INTs the past 2 years.
Zion Nelson was at one point thought to be a 1st Round Draft Pick before dealing with injuries. While he would be a risky pick, a 7th Round flier on somebody with his potential would be a good gamble.
Zion Nelson is from Sumter, South Carolina, and was a 3-star prospect in high school. After being ranked the 100th-best tackle in his recruiting class, Nelson earned the starting Left Tackle job in the preseason of his freshman year. He made 13 starts at LT in his true freshman season. Nelson was hurt to start his sophomore season, but powered through it with a strong year. In ‘21, Nelson started all 12 games for the Hurricanes and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention. After his junior year, he was recognized as one of the top offensive linemen amongst underclassmen who hadn’t yet joined the NFL. ESPN’s Todd McShay had Zion Nelson as the #5 overall pick in his way too early ‘22 Mock Draft. In ‘22, Nelson fractured his knee just 1 game into the season so he returned this year as a 5th-year starter, only to have missed a ton of the year dealing with his knee recovery. When healthy on the field, Zion Nelson has proven to be a real difference-maker at left tackle.
Back when the Jets drafted Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye in the first 2 rounds, they were deservedly ridiculed for putting a premium on position. While the idea behind drafting 2 guys in the backend that early didn’t work, I do like pairing 2 young safeties in Mock Drafts. Both Bishop and Akeem Dent aren’t afraid to make a big hit. Bishop would be a bit more in the box while Dent would play more FS.
Akeem Dent is from Pahokee, Florida. He was listed as a CB in high school and was highly recruited as a 5-star prospect. During his freshman year with Florida State, he made the move over to Safety and earned 5 starts as he had 35 tackles with 7 pass breakups. After the ‘20 season where he made 5 more starts at safety, Dent was named full-time starter in ‘21. That season he got his first INT along with 4 more pass breakups. In the past 2 seasons at FSU, Akeem Dent has made 22 more starts combining for 5 pass breakups along with 2 forced fumbles. He has been named a Seminole Scholar and to the ACC Honor Roll multiple times. Dent was also presented with the FSU’s Don Powell Award which goes to the team’s unsung heroes of the team. PFF College graded Dent as a 65.2 in pass coverage, but he made up for it with his 74.2 run defense. He’s another hard-hitting safety with the range to play CF as last year he took 204 snaps from the FS position.