Amen | *Caitlin Clark Watch* | March Madness Final 4 | NFL Mock | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Amen by Meek Mill featuring Drake. I’ll be honest, I picked this song because it’s the day after Easter so it sorta plays. As the kids used to say, this beat goes hard so instead of dissecting the lyrics of Meek Mill and Drake, I decided to rap over it with my own verses. You can check it out on today’s YouTube Rabbithole at the bottom. Let me know if you want me to drop the rest of the mixtape. With it being the Final Four week of March Madness and the NFL Draft approaching, let’s get…
…on to the sports…
March Madness (Women’s Version)
*Caitlin Clark Watch*
Iowa vs LSU | Tonight at 7:15 PM ET | ESPN
Tonight is what sports is all about. Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes get a rematch against LSU. The two schools played each other in the NCAA Finals last year when LSU came up on top 102-85. In the championship, LSU shot the lights out behind the arc, hitting 64.7% of their 3s (11-17). The game ended with LSU’s star center, Angel Reese, taunting Clark. For LSU, Reese is again the team’s leading point scorer (18.7 ppg) and rebounder (13.2 rpg). Reese has had a double-double with points and rebounds in 15 straight games. Caitlin Clark has a streak of her own going, scoring 20+ points in 46 straight games. When asked about her rivalry with Angel Reese, Clark responded, “The biggest thing is that women’s basketball is in a really great place. It’s not just me and Angel. I know she would say the exact same thing. There are so many stars in our game. I think what we’ve both been able to do for her respective programs has been really special. The way we’ve elevated women’s basketball has been really cool and I’ve watched a lot of LSU games this year. I think more than anything it’s just been great for women’s basketball.” Great answer, but you know she’s been chomping at the bit for this rematch. If you’re a fan of sports this is appointment television.
Final Four Preview
From the Sweet 16 Bracket, Week to Week Notes hit on 3 of the 4 Final Four schools. Not bad. I took NC State over Duke, so technically we hit on all 4 games of Elite 8.
The last time UConn and Alabama danced in March was in the ‘04 Elite 8. UConn won that matchup thanks to the 36 points that Ben Gordon scored. Those Huskies would win the National Championship in ‘04 as they had multiple NBA players besides Gordon in Emeka Okafor, Josh Boone, and Charlie Villanueva. The only other time they matched up was early last season when UConn once again came up on top.
In this year’s Elite 8, it looked like somebody finally would go toe to toe with the Huskies as Illinois was tied with them at 23-23 with 1:23 left in the 1st Half. Then, the Huskies woke up as they went on an absurd 30-0 run. Illinois did not score a bucket for the first 7 minutes of the 2nd half. It wasn’t just that UConn made a bunch of 3s either, in fact, they only made 3 of 17 attempts. They just continued to get stop after stop on defense. UConn’s C Donovan Clingan had a monster game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. A huge reason why the Huskies are so good is they can beat teams in so many ways because they consistently play great team defense. When you combine last year’s March Madness run, they have now outscored opponents 800-569. It’s been 10 games so the math is easy, they’ve averaged 80 points per game while allowing only 56.9, good for a 23.1 margin per game. Ridiculous.
Alabama played Clemson in a much closer game that went down to wire. After PF Grant Nelson had a huge Sweet 16, it was their other forward, Nick Pringle’s turn to step up. Pringle had 16 points and 11 rebounds including this smooth tip-in GIF’d above that was an AND-1. For Bama, of course, everything still runs through Mark Sears, who again led the team in scoring with 23. As a team, the Tide shot 44.4% from beyond the arc. If they want any shot at beating UConn, they need huge games out of Sears, Nelson, and Pringle, while also again shooting 44.4% from 3.
Prediction: UConn 80 - Alabama 56.9
Purdue vs NC State
These two schools have never once danced with each other in March. Very shy of them. That said, since 1971, they have faced each other 6 times with NC State winning the first 4 times they met. Purdue has beaten them in their last 2 meetings.
The Boilermakers beat the Volunteers to advance to the Final Four. Purdue’s Center, Zach Edey, continued his month of domination as he scored 40 points with 16 rebounds. During the game, the internet was annoyed that he shot 22 free throws, but Edey made up for it with a classic THIS IS MARCH post-game interview. When asked by the sideline reporter what his mentality was for this game, a fired-up 7’4” giant shouted into the mic, “They thought they knew us, man. They thought they knew what we had in our hearts. I promise you that they didn’t. We’re fucking winners. That’s what we do.” Much to my mother’s dismay, I have to report on Live TV hot mic F-Bombs, the people need to know.
The NC State and Duke Elite 8 game was a fun in-state showdown where the state students beat the private school kids. After being down 6 at the half, the Wolfpack went off for 55 points in the 2nd half. DJ Burns Jr. is my new favorite player to watch. As powerful of a human as he is at 6’9” and 275 lbs., he has an equal amount of finesse with his touch around the rim. His work in the low post is truly a joy to watch. It’s like Zach Randolph reincarnated. Aside from Burns Jr., DJ Horne also contributed 20 points. This matchup between Burns Jr. and Edey is going to be a classic on Friday night in Phoenix. I’m sticking with Purdue because I picked UConn vs Purdue on my original bracket, but I’ll be pulling for NC State as the underdogs. NC State is the 6th 11-Seed to make the Final Four as they join 1986 LSU, ‘06 George Mason, ‘11 VCU, ‘18 Loyola Chicago, and ‘21 UCLA. No 11-Seed has ever made the Championship.
Prediction: 73 Purdue - 68 NC State
Today’s ‘24 NFL Mock Draft features the 3 Rounds of my friends and family’s favorite teams with an extra Round 4-7 of the New York Jets.
Patriots
- With Caleb Williams already receiving his own key to Da Bears facility, all eyes are on the Washington Commies at #2. I’m sticking to my board and having Washington take Drake Maye. Only 2 Heisman Trophy-winning QBs have ever won a Super Bowl as the starting QB for their team. Many have tried and many have failed, but Roger Staubach and Jim Plunkett got it done. Both of those QBs won Super Bowls in the 1970s. If Jayden Daniels goes to the Patriots, it would be a real shame if he failed to live up to such high expectations.
Chargers
- Jim Harbaugh is a football guy who knows it’s all about who wins the trenches. Joe Alt would be a foundational pick that proves he means business in San Diego.
Giants
- In this scenario, Marvin Harrison Jr. goes to the Cardinals and the G-Men take the #2 WR. Malik Nabers would bring juice to a WR core that frankly hasn’t had an alpha since OBJ. Maybe things will work out differently for this LSU star.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu is 6’6”, 308 lbs, and played Left Tackle for the Nittany Lions. After not playing much in his first 2 seasons at Penn State, Olu Fashanu finished his final seasons with 20 starts under his belt. In 646 pass-blocking snaps, Fashanu never allowed a sack. In his junior year, he earned 2nd Team All-Big 10. Last season as a senior, Oly was named the Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. His teammates also named him a captain. In this Mock Draft scenario, Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and Brock Bowers are all off the board so the Jets select their future blindside blocker. While it’s not ideal for a win-now team to use a 1st Rounder on a player you hope doesn’t see the field, that would be the best-case scenario because it means their O-Line stayed healthy protecting Rodgers.
Jaguars
- During free agency, Jacksonville added CB Ronald Darby and Darnell Savage, who can play nickel, to their defensive secondary. Drafting Quinyon Mitchell adds a ballhawk to this bunch. He may not start immediately, but Darby is a 30-year-old CB and Tyson Campbell has had his ups and downs.
Dolphins
- Tyler Guyton is 6’7” and 328 lbs. An AFC national scout said, “There is a lot to work with here. I think he has a chance to get hot and go way earlier than people might expect.” He could replace LT Terron Armstead, who had to be persuaded out of retirement with an adjusted contract over the offseason.
Eagles
- While Taliese Fuaga won’t start over Lane Johnson, he could replace the 11-year vet RT once Johnson decides to hang them up. PFF College loves Fuaga, giving him an overall grade of 88.2. He is a better run blocker than a pass blocker, but that’s usually how it goes for Right Tackles.
Cowboys
- In this scenario, the Cowboys miss out on most of the top 1st Round O-Line talent and decide to go CB with Nate Wiggins. An NFC national scout anonymously stated, “He has better physical talent than Devon Witherspoon, but he doesn’t have that same level of dog in him. That’s probably the biggest difference right now. I think Wiggins is the better prospect, though.” Maybe Jerry Jones could get the dog out of him.
Patriots
- Xavier Worthy and Jayden Daniels would make the Patriots offense fun. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen. The Texas WR was extremely consistent all 3 years for the Longhorns. He caught at least 60 passes each season and racked up 2,755 receiving yards with 26 TDs for his college career. Worthy has blazing speed. He ran an incredible 4.21 40-yard dash, a new record at the NFL Combine.
Chargers
- Darius Robinson had a breakout senior season at Missouri with 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. After playing most of his career as an interior lineman at DT, Mizzou started using more as an edge rusher. Another player for Harbaugh to mold in the trenches.
Giants
- The Giants could use an upgrade at the guard position. Cooper Beebe was a consensus 1st Team All-American and was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in ‘23. In 3 years, Beebe made 48 starts for Kansas State and was recognized as 1st Team All-Big 12 in every one. For his career, in 1,488 pass-blocking snaps, he only allowed 5 sacks.
Jaguars
- The Jags signed Mitch Morse to snap the ball to Sunshine for 2 seasons. Zach Frazier started his career at West Virginia as a guard, so he could fill in there before taking over Morse’s duties as the long-term center for Sunshine Lawrence.
Eagles
- WR Ricky Pearsall would be a versatile weapon to add alongside AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. He might have a bit more upside than DeVante Parker, who is coming off 2 seasons in New England where he only caught 31 and 33 passes for a total of 933 yards with 3 TDs.
Eagles
- Safety Javon Bullard was Georgia Bulldogs’ MVP in their CFB Championship Game as he picked off TCU’s Max Duggan twice. Last season, Bullard was named 2nd Team All-SEC. The Eagles could use a bit of youth in their secondary.
Dolphins
- Marshawn Kneeland is a small school prospect out of Western Michigan. While he may have only racked up 13 sacks in his 4 years as an edge rusher for the Broncos, PFF College was a really big fan of Kneeland last year as they gave him an 84.7 pass rush grade. Kneeland also had a nice combine as the scouts loved how he could move around cones.
Cowboys
- Xavier Legette would provide Dallas with another playmaker for Dak. With their offense centered around feeding Ceedee Lamb, Legette is the type of secondary option at WR who could fill in as more of a gadget WR. I could see Legette as a Deebo Samuel-lite RB/WR type of player in the NFL.
Patriots
- As a former Patriots LB, Jared Mayo may want to add a young LBer to mold in his first NFL Draft as their new head coach. This past season, Edgerrin Cooper was named 1st Team AP All-American as he led the Aggies in tackles (84), TFLs (17), and sacks (8). He can be used as a blitzer and has the speed (4.51 40-time) to guard RBs/TEs.
Chargers
- Jim Harbaugh knows all about Roman Wilson as he coached him for 4 seasons. Wilson is coming off a senior year where he caught a career-high 11 TDs. After letting go of flashier WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the Michigan Man WR fits more in line with the Michigan Man coach.
Giants
- Even though USC’s defense was awful under Lincoln Riley, Calen Bullock produced solid numbers with 19 pass deflections, 7 INTs, and 2 Pick-6s. Bullock ran a 4.48 40-time and could start over Jalen Mills as the Giants look to replace Xavier McKinney at safety.
Ja’Lynn Polk is from Lufkin, Texas, the home of other NFL WRs such as Dez Bryant and Keke Coutee. As a true freshman, Polk played at Texas Tech where he flashed with 28 catches and 2 scores. He transferred to Washington after ‘20 but was only able to play 3 games with the Huskies in his first season due to injury. In ‘22, Polk had 41 catches for 694 yards and 6 TDs, a very solid season that he was able to improve upon this year. The 4th year WR solidified himself as WR2 on Washington as he has caught 60 passes for 1,000 yards and 8 TDs. Polk has made quite a few difficult contested catches this season and has the potential a very good WR2 in the NFL. After passing up on 1st-round WRs, the Jets add a pass catcher for Rodgers.
Cowboys
- Dallas finally adds some O-Line help in the 3rd Round. Christian Haynes is an interior lineman out of UConn who never missed a game. The AP named Haynes to their 3rd Team All-American squad in ‘22 and ‘23. He could probably start at LG or C in place of what they currently have with TJ Bass and Brock Hoffman.
Jaguars
- T’Vondre Sweat would beef up the Duval defensive line. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in ‘23 won the Outland Trophy presented to the nation’s top interior lineman.
Jaheim Bell’s hometown is Lake City, Florida. He started his collegiate career at South Carolina. After a freshman season where he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, Bell caught 30 passes for 497 yards and 5 TDs in a traditional TE role. In ‘22, the Gamecocks used Bell as more of a Swiss Army type of player as he he 25 catches for 231 receiving yards while also carrying the ball as an RB 73 times for 261 yards as their short-yardage back. Last season, Jaheim Bell transferred to Florida State. While they didn’t use him as much as an RB (4 rushes for 1 TD), Bell did have a career-high in catches (39) and yards (503). As a 4th Round pick, the Jets would be getting a bit of a project player. While they already have traditional TEs with Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert, Bell could be the type of versatile player that the team could line up at FB for a few plays a game and would be a threat to opponents as he has ball-carrying experience.
Sione Vaki is from Antioch, California. Before playing for the Utes, Vaki went on a 2-year church mission, deeming him eligible for the NFL Draft despite only being a sophomore in college. (College Football players need to be 3 years removed from high school football.) After starting as a 3-star recruit, Vaki returned to the gridiron in ‘22 and had his best game that season in the Rose Bowl with 8 tackles. His Rose Bowl performance gave way to Vaki’s big ‘23 season, as he made 12 starts at safety while also seeing playing time at RB in 7 games. In ‘23, Vaki had 8.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and an INT to go along with 520 total yards (rushing/receiving). He also found pay dirt 5 times. While he may not fit the bill as a CF safety, the Jets would be drafting a good versatile football player so a solid mid-round prospect to consider.
Frank Gore Jr. is from Miami, Florida, and is indeed the son of NFL legend Frank Gore. After playing a bit of QB in high school, Gore Jr. decided to play at Southern Miss. As a freshman in ‘20, the 5’11” RB led the Golden Eagles with 708 rushing yards on 5.9 yards per carry. In ‘21, Gore again led the team in rushing yards, this time with 801 yards on 4.5 yards per carry. After his two very solid seasons as an underclassman, Gore Jr. really broke out on the potential NFL scene in ‘22 when he was named 1st Team All-Sun Belt with 1,382 rushing yards and 9 TDs. In the LendingTree Bowl that season, Gore broke a school and NCAA record with an insane 329 yards against Rice. He followed up that strong finish to his season with 1,131 rushing yards and 10 TDs last year. Much like his father, Gore Jr. is a tough, hard-nosed, physical RB.
Zakhari Franklin is from Cedar Hill, Texas. Out of high school, he wasn’t recruited much so he chose to play for the University of Texas at San Antonio. At UTSA, Franklin was a baller. As a junior in ‘21, he caught 81 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 scores. During his senior year of ‘22, he improved in both categories with 93 receptions for 1,137 yards and 15 TDs. This put him on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List for ‘23 as he transferred to Ole Miss as a 5th-year senior. Last year was rough for Franklin as he dealt with injuries and only caught 4 passes for 38 yards and 1 score. Then things got a bit fishy as his head coach Lane Kiffin said “he chose not to play.” Now I can’t even really confirm that Franklin is entering the NFL Draft but he can’t go back to Ole Miss so he’s out of options. The former UTSA stud has great hands but may lack separation in the pros. I figure with the 2nd to last pick in the draft, the Jets might as well throw a dart.
Jack Plummer is from Gilbert, Arizona. With the last pick of the NFL Draft, I have to make sure the Jets go QB with a bit of potential and a backstory. Plummer seems to fit that narrative as an overlooked prospect. Out of high school, Plummer was the 30th-ranked QB in the country of his class. He picked Purdue as his first school. After not seeing the field at all in ‘18, Plummer made 6 starts in ‘19 and even made the Academic All-Big Ten. He returned as the team’s starter in ‘20, throwing 8 TDs to just 2 INTs in 3 losses. He again retained his starting job in ‘21 before losing it to Aidan O’Connell (AOC for the Vegas Raiders). After losing the job to AOC, Plummer transferred to Cal. For the Bears in ‘22, Plummer was solid with a 63% completion percentage, 3,095 passing yards, and 21 TDs to 9 INTs. Cal that year wasn’t great, but Plummer did have a big game against USC as he threw for 406 passing yards, more than Caleb Williams’ 360. Last year, Plummer elected to once again join the transfer portal and picked Louisville. At Lousiville last year, Plummer threw for 3,204 passing yards with 21 TDs. To end his collegiate career, Plummer had a rough ACC Championship against FSU as well as a dud against USC, but he fits the narrative of a Mr. Irrevelant QB.
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*April Fools Got You Meme*
April Fools, as the kids today would say, I was capping. Cop on yourself!