Mock Draft Monday 6/10 '24
Worst Behavior
Worst Behavior
- Building A Board ‘25 (Vol VII)
- NBA Draft ‘24
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s Drake tune on this Mock Draft Monday is Worst Behavior. It’s the 6th track off the album Nothing Was The Same.
The majority of the start of the song is just a chorus of the Canadian rapper being on his worst behavior.
Drake’s debut studio album Thank Me Later in ‘10 sold 1.27 million “units.” I don’t know how they quantify albums with streaming but it landed inside the Top 10 for the year with below the likes of Taylor Swift on her Speak Now flow, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga. While Eminem’s Recovery would end up above it, that was a huge album as it was the return of the Detroit rapper after his stint in rehab. Take Care in ‘11 went 6x Platinum and was also inside the Top 10 for the year. It was right below the likes of Adele’s 21, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV, Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More, even outselling Watch The Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West. (Source: Billboard)
I guess the point he was trying to make at the time was he was performing with the likes of already well-established rappers and pop artists compared to his generation of peers. So despite the criticism, it was working for him.
Connecting gross with throwing up and his net profit is clever.
He and Serena Williams were linked as a doubles pair around the early ‘10s. That might be a reach that he could beat her left-handed. I mean, she does hold the record for 39 major titles with 23 coming in singles play and the rest in doubles playing with Venus.
I’m skipping over the lines following his Bar mitzvah money like my last name Mordecai because I don’t want to mortify my own mother to read such obscenities. The Acura reference always seems to come up whenever talking about his Degrassi days. One would think since he’s an ambassador of Toronto and spends much of his time in the States he’d have some type of special clearance. If not that must take a lot of time with customs.
This song samples Biggie Smalls’ Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems. As the kids used to say the beat goes hard and Drake certainly doesn’t hold back reminding us he has a chip on his shoulder because people didn’t think he could make it in music.
Hold up, hold my phone. They used to never want to read us.
Only messing. I will say, however, with social media usually the more bombastic the Reel, the more eyeballs it draws. Granted, it’s probably more eye rolls than anything, but hey they all count. Part of the Sports Blog game. Either way, thank you as always for reading Week to Week Notes.
While some people may only like Drake with the melodies, Remember, Worst Behavior did win the Best Hip Hop Video and was the People’s Champ Award at the ‘14 BET Awards.
On to the stars in sports of tomorrow…
The ‘25 NFL Draft won’t be in Lambeau Field until April 24th, ‘25. I don’t have a Mock Draft for that class, still have to learn more about the players first. So, just like last year’s Mondays, we’ll get started with the biggest names in College Football for this upcoming season, adding 5 more players every Monday Mock Draft to Build A Board.
Last week’s Own It didn’t reach any football players. Don’t blame the college kids, they probably were like “What the hell is this Drake singing tag from @You_The_Reader”, but we did reach Reed Sheppard and Baylor Scheierman. Both guards have a real shot at being lottery picks in the NBA Draft later this month.
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Drew Allar is from Medina, Ohio. The highly touted recruit was a member of the Elite 11 QB for his class so he worked under the tutelage of Trent Dilfer. In ‘22, Allar was the backup QB behind Sean Clifford. The true freshman still made 10 appearances mostly in the 2nd half of blowouts. In ‘23, Drew Allar earned the QB1 starting job. As a sophomore, he started all 13 games, throwing with 60% accuracy for 2,631 yards with 25 TDs to just 2 INTs. His 12.5 TD to INT ratio was 2nd only behind Bo Nix in ‘23. This earned him an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten Team. While overall he had a nice season, Allar struggled against the Big Ten’s best. Against Ohio State and Michigan in ‘23, Allar went 28 for 65 (43.1%) totaling just 261 passing yards with 2 TDs in losses. To ensure a shot at being a 1st Rounder in ‘25, Drew Allar will need to improve in these big games. He has the arm talent and prototypical size at 6’5” for the NFL.
Earnest Greene III, OT, Georgia
Earnest Greene III is from LA, where in high school he was ranked the #2 interior offensive lineman. He spent the ‘22 College Football season redshirting as he focused on playing tackle instead of in the interior. That year of practice paid off as in ‘23, Greene III took the starting LT job. He made 14 starts for the Bulldogs and was named a 1st Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic. Georgia allowed less than a sack a game, as their 13 allowed sacks were good for 7th in the nation. Greene III plays with a mean streak, has the size at 6’4” + 320 lbs, and has the athleticism to get upfield. The Georgia Bulldogs have had 4 offensive tackles get drafted in the 1st Round of the last 5 NFL Drafts so Greene has a try to add to their list.
Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
Abdul Carter is from Philly so he decided to play for his home state as a Nittany Lion. As a true freshman in ‘22, Carter earned 2nd Team All-Big Ten and was named one of Penn State’s Keystone Award winners. He was also recognized as a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award for his 56 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 pass breakups. He led the team in sacks, which is quite impressive considering he was a stand-up middle linebacker who did so from blitzing. In ‘23 as a sophomore, Abdul Carter moved up to 1st Team All-Big Ten honors as he made 48 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and an INT. This upcoming fall, Abdul Carter will be moving from inside linebacker to a full-time pass rusher off the edge. Penn State has a very nice track record with this elite-level of athletic LBs as Micah Parson once prowled Beaver Stadium as a linebacker before becoming one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Carter received nothing but praise for the news from his former teammates turned NFL pros Chop Robinson and Curtis Jacobs. Robinson said, "I feel like that’s a good move for him because he’s so natural as a pass-rusher and as an athlete. When he gets with (D-Line coach) Deion Barnes and they work on the little details, he will be unstoppable." As Jacobs furthered the point, "I saw it coming from our 'Prowler' package. He’s just too dynamic of an athlete not to have him going after the quarterback." While this is a bit of a projection, the signs point to Carter having no issue focusing on the QB.
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Sonny Styles is from Pickerington, Ohio, or about 25 minutes east of Columbus, so the Buckeyes were his top choice for school. Both of Sonny Styles parents attended Ohio State as his dad played linebacker for the Buckeyes in the early 90s. His father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., also would go on to play 6 seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and won a Super Bowl with the Rams in ‘00. Entering college, Sonny Styles was a safety. As a freshman in ‘22, he was only 17 years old as a true freshman and he got 280 snaps worth of experience. In ‘23, Styles saw action in 13 games as he totaled 53 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble, again at safety. This past offseason, Sonny Styles has shifted over to linebacker. Former NFL linebacker and current Ohio State linebacker coach, James Laurinatis, believes Styles has what it takes to make the change. "Sonny has such a rare skill set...he's kind of in that Isaiah Simmons mix, where you're like what really is he-- is he a safety? He's just a weapon. That's something we will evaluate this spring." With the losses to the NFL of Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers in the Buckeye linebacker core, the Styles experiment at LB makes a ton of sense. With his experience as a defensive back, Sonny Styles will have an edge over most CFB linebackers in pass coverage. It’s also pretty cool he gets to follow in the footsteps of his dad as a Buckeye LB.
Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan
Donovan Edwards is form West Bloomfield, Michigan, or about an 45 minutes north of Ann Arbor so the Wolverines were his clear top school. As a freshman for Michigan in ‘21, Donovan Edwards shared team Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with QB JJ McCarthy. Edwards carried the rock 35 times for 174 yards while serving more in the pass catching game with 20 receptions for 265 yards. As a sophomore in ‘22, Edwards stepped up as Wolverines starting RB when Blake Corum went down with an injury. In the final 3 games of the ‘22 season as RB1, Edwards had 70 carries for 520 yards and 3 scores. He had a monster game in the Michigan win over Ohio State with 216 rushing yards, which mostly came from his 2 big scores to seal the deal. During his junior year at Michigan in ‘23, Donovan Edwards once again was the backup to Blake Corum and he once again showed up when it mattered most. In the College Football Championship, Edwards became the first player in the CFP National Championship Game history to run for multiple 40+ yard scores. Now a senior and the clear starter for the Wolverines, Donovan Edwards will have more opportunity to show his knack for big runs. In ‘23, Blake Corum had 258 carries for 1,245 yards (4.8 yards per carry). Edwards in his 3 years at Michigan has had 294 carries for 1,662 yards (5.7 yards per carry). Expect a big season out of one the CFB ‘25 Cover athlete.
With the NBA Draft set for June 26th, we’ll add 5 more NBA Draft prospects to a list in preparation for a Mock Draft 1st Round. Here are the players profiled thus far…
Next week will feature 6 NBA prospects so that we can replace Alex Karaban, who has decided to go back to school. The following Monday will be the week before the NBA Draft so that’ll have the official 1st Round NBA Mock Draft of players from this board above.
Sam Griffin, PG, Wyoming
Sam Griffin is from Miami, Florida, where in high school he scored 23 points per game as a senior at Westminster High School. While at Westminster, he helped them win 3 consecutive state championship titles. Despite an excellent high school career, Sam Griffin wasn’t highly recruited. He played for UT Arlington in the Sun Belt Conference where in 2 seasons he averaged 11.2 points per game. He then transferred to Tulsa University in ‘21, where for another 2 seasons Griffin averaged 15 points per game. Last season, he transferred once more to the Wyoming Cowboys. Griffin in ‘23-’24 averaged a career-high 16.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting a career-best 39% from beyond the arc. While his 39% from deep may not jump off the screen, Griffin shot 47% on catch and shoot 3-pointers. His high-arching shooting form is impressive and he also had some nice finishes around the rim for a 6’3” guard. Sam Griffin is an under the radar prospect with potential to be a nice combo guard role in the NBA.
DJ Burns, PF, NC State
DJ Burns is from Rock Hill, South Carolina. At York Prep Academy he scored over 1,000 points and came down with over 1,000 rebounds. Rated a 4-star prospect entering college, Burns initially enrolled at Tennessee University but ended up only redshirting for the Volunteers in ‘19. From ‘20 to ‘22, DJ Burns played for his home city of Rock Hill at Winthrop University. He was named the Big South Freshman of the Year in ‘20, mainly coming off their bench to average 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. In ‘21, Burns became a starter, scoring 10.1 points per game. During his final year at Winthrop in ‘22, DJ Burns was named the Big South Conference Player of the Year as he improved his numbers to 15 points per game on 63% shooting from the field. He next decided to transfer to South Carolina. After another consistent season in ‘23 where he was named an honorable mention on the All-ACC Team with 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, DJ Burns became a star of this past March Madness Tournament. In his last 12 game with the Wolfpack, DJ Burns became the focal point to their offense as they went on a Final Four run. During their run in March, Burns averaged 16.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. At 6’9” and over 270 lbs., Burns is a big fella who dominates the paint. Not only did he outphysical opponents by backing them down in the post, but he has great touch around the rim. The NBA will want to have Burns lose weight and he claims to have already lost 45 lbs. in preparation for the NBA Draft. With his size, skill, and playmaking ability in the post, the obvious comparison for the lefty is Zach Randolph. Despite the lack of recognition on most NBA Draft Boards, Week to Week Notes thinks he’s got a real shot in the NBA. Good player.
Jared McCain, SG, Duke
Jared McCain is from Sacramento, California. As a senior in high school, McCain was a McDonald’s All American, averaging 18 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He was named the California Gatorade Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons before choosing to play for Duke. As a Blue Devil last season, Jared McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and about a steal a game while shooting 41% from deep. This earned the Freshman a spot on the All-ACC Rookie Team and he was also named the NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team for his play in March. For McCain to become an NBA starter, improvements may need to be had as a passer, however, his elite 3-point shooting will certainly be something scouts and NBA teams will love to work with.
Justin Edwards, PF, Kentucky
Justin Edwards is from Philly. In the Kentucky school guide, Edwards listed his mother as his life’s greatest influence. His mom, Ebony Twiggs, played College Ball at Cheyney University and had a pro career in Portugal. 23 years after his mom won the MVP of the Philadelphia Public League championship game, Justin Edwards also received the honor in the guys league. Coming out of high school, Justin Edwards was recruited highly as the #3 ranked player in his class. After winning the Co-MVP with DJ Wagner in the Iverson Classic, of which Week to Week Notes recieved a credential media pass for, Edwards chose his dream school at Kentucky. Under Coach Calipari, Edwards made 30 starts for the Wildcats while averaging 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He also shot 37% from 3. Inconsistency was Edwards’ biggest problem last season, however, playing on a young team like Kentucky, it happens. The lefty power forward still has plenty of potential in the NBA.
Bronny James, SG, USC
