Mock Draft Monday 7/15 '24
305 to My City
305 to My City
- NFL Draft ‘25 Build a Board
- Yanks & Mets Draft Picks
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s 305 to My City. It’s the 11th track off of Nothing Was The Same album.
This is a sing-song R&B type of tune that features Detroit artist, Detail, on the backup vocals.
305 is the area code of Miami. Never been, but after learning from yesterday’s Stumblin’ Along on the Latin Quarter, we know that Barbra Walter’s dad, Lou, brought the nightclub scene from Miami to Times Square in 1942. Boom.
Following the cue here, haven’t broken a sweat but let’s just scroll down to the fun stuff…
On to the sports stars 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, 3 more College Football stars along with the ambidextrous pitcher, Jurrangelo Cigintje, viewed the tag.
Last night Cigintje was selected by the Seattle Mariners and Jac Caglianone was taken #6 by the Kansas City Royals.
While we’re at it, might as well mention that the 2 starting corner outfielders for the American League, Steven Kwan, and a Yankee by the name of Juan Soto, were 2 of the first 11 readers on Saturday. Hope they like Smash Mouth.
Cameron Ward, QB, Miami
Cameron Ward is from West Columbia, Texas, where in high school he was a star on the gridiron and the basketball hardwood. He is related to 2 NFL CBs, Quandre Diggs and Quinton Jammer. Out of high school, Cameron Ward decided to play for Incarnate Word in San Antonio. At the small D1 school, Cameron Ward won the ‘21 Jerry Rice Award which goes to the nation’s most outstanding FCS player. In 6 games as a freshman, Ward threw for 2,260 yards and 24 scores. He followed up his freshman campaign at IWU with a 2nd Team FCS All-American season with 4,648 passing yards and 47 TDs in 13 games. After 2 seasons at Incarnate Word, Ward decided to transfer to Washington State. As a Cougar for 2 seasons in ‘22-’23, Ward threw for 6,968 passing yards with 48 TDs to just 16 INTs. He is an accurate thrower of the football with a career 66% completion percentage. While he does have a set of wheels and can scramble, Cameron Ward is one of the top returning pocket passers in College Football. Ward has now transferred to the U (of Miami) where he will take over the QB1 duties. He likely would’ve been a mid-round draft pick in last year’s NFL Draft, however, with a good season in the 305, Cameron Ward could find himself as a Day 1 or Day 2 pick in the ‘25 NFL Draft.
Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama
Parker Brailsford is from Mesa, Arizona, where he helped his high school, Saguaro, win a state title in ‘21. His first college out of high school was Washington University. In ‘22, Brailsford redshirted for the Huskies but impressed his coaches as he won the team’s Bob Jarvis Offensive Scout Squad MVP Award. During his redshirt freshman season of ‘23, Brailsford was inserted into the Washington offensive line and was named 2nd Team All-Pac 12 as well as a 1st Team Freshman All-American. When he initially entered the lineup, Brailsford played right guard for 2 games until moving to his left a spot as Michael Penix Jr.’s snapper. PFF College was a huge fan of his game as they graded Brailsford out to be CFB’s 2nd best center in ‘23, only behind Jackson Powers-Johnson. After losing in the National Championship Game with much of Washington’s offense moving on to the NFL and their head coach Kaeln DeBoer replacing Nick Saban at ‘Bama, Parker Brailsford decided to transfer along with DeBoer to Alabama. Roll tide.
Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
Andrew Mukuba was born in Zimbabwe and immigrated to the United States when he was nine years old. He grew up in the Austin, Texas area and was a 4-star recruit deciding to play for Clemson. At Clemson, Mukuba became the first true freshman defensive back to start a season opener since the NCAA instituted permanent freshman eligibility in 1972 and he won the ‘21 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. He built on his strong freshman year with a solid ‘22 where he had 50 tackles, 4 pass breakups, and an INT while playing some cornerback. He followed that up with 42 more tackles with 6 pass deflections in ‘23. After ‘23, Andrew Mukuka decided to transfer back to his home city at the University of Texas. The Longhorns now have an experienced defensive back who over the past 2 seasons has played over 550 snaps in the slot and nearly 400 snaps as a deep safety. Mukuba can play nickel as well as CF for the Longhorn defense and has already flashed as a leader with his new team during spring ball. His new teammate, Malik Muhammad, praised Mukuba stating, “I think he’s going to be a big player for us in the back end. He communicates well and he’s such a fit that sometimes when someone does something wrong, he’ll make ‘em right.”
Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State
Donovan Jackson is from Bellaire, Texas, where he was rated a 5-star prospect and the top guard of his class. After seeing limited action as a freshman in ‘21, Jackson took over the LG spot and blocked for CJ Stroud. Jackson made 13 starts in ‘22 and was named 1st Team All-Big Ten. He returned in ‘23 as the Buckeye starting LG and was again named 1st Team All-Big Ten. The 6’4” and 320 lbs. guard is an excellent pass blocker who graded out with a 98.7% pass blocking efficiency according to PFF College. Already awarded 2-time All-Big Ten OG, Donovan Jackson likely will be named a Pre-Season All-American entering the ‘24 fall season.
Tate Ratledge, OG, Georgia
Tate Ratledge is from Rome, Georgia, which is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. He chose to play in his home state of Georgia for the Bulldogs. After seeing limited snaps at RG in ‘20, Ratledge earned the starting role in ‘21 but only was able to play 1 quarter before suffering a lisfranc ligament injury. He was able to redshirt and recover to reclaim his starting job at RG in ‘22, where he made 14 starts. This past season in ‘23 was the offensive guard’s best. He was named 2nd Team All-American by the AP and the Coaches of the SEC tabbed him All-SEC 1st Team. In his 418 pass-blocking snaps, Ratledge didn’t allow a single snap in ‘23, but he may even be more dominant in the run game. At 6’6” and 310 lbs., Tate Ratledge is a mauling offensive guard with a party in the back mullet.
Sunday night was the 1st and 2nd Round of the ‘24 MLB Draft. Here are the selections made by the 2 New York Baseball teams…
Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State
Round 1, Pick 19 (Mets)
Carson Benge is from Yukon, Oklahoma. His older brother Garrett also played for Oklahoma State and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th Round of the ‘17 MLB Draft. Carson Benge as a senior in high school was named the Oklahoma City North Player of the Year as he went 8-1 with 124 strikeouts on the mound and batted .490 at the plate. Before his freshman season at Oklahoma State, Benge underwent Tommy John surgery and redshirted the entire ‘22 season. He made his collegiate debut in ‘23 as a starting pitcher and outfielder. On the mound in ‘23, Benge struggled with a 6.69 ERA, something not too odd coming of Tommy John. He was still named a John Olerud Two-Way Player semi-finalist because of his .345 batting average at the plate. This past spring season, Benge returned to form on the mound becoming a multi-inning relief pitcher with a 3.16 ERA. His sophomore season also saw an increase in power production as he went from hitting 7 homers with 17 doubles as a freshman to 18 homers with 24 doubles in ‘24. Along with the power, the 6’1” outfielder has a good eye and was able to maintain a high on-base of .455 in his 2 years at OK State. The Mets will likely have him stick to focusing on batting, but he does have a high-90s fastball in his pitching repertoire.
Ben Hess, RHP, Alabama
Round 1, Pick 26 (Yankees)
Ben Hess is from Charleston, Illinois, where he was tabbed as the top righty pitcher of his state in high school. As a freshman at Alabama, Hess was a mid-rotation starter who threw 33.2 innings to a 4.54 ERA with 50 strikeouts. The following summer of ‘22, Hess made 3 more starts in the Cape Cod League where he flashed with a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings pitched while striking out 15. Hess started off his sophomore year at ‘Bama with a 3.22 ERA and 4-0 record before being sidelined with a right flexor strain for the rest of the season. During his past season at Alabama, Ben Hess returned with a career-high 5.80 ERA, however, he also struck out 106 batters in 68.1 innings. Hess holds the Alabama school record of strikeouts per 9 innings, as he averaged out to 13.3 batters per 9. His fastball can top off at 99 mph, he also throws a slider that scouts think can be molded into more of a cutter, along with a mid-70s curveball. With his strikeout stuff, brings some control issues as he’ll need to cut down on his walks or he may be better suited for the bullpen. At 6’5”, MLB.com compares Hess to Lance Lynn, but I see his mannerisms and straightforward delivery on the mound more like Joba Chamberlain.
Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke
Round 2, Pick 46 (Mets)
Johnathan Santucci is from Leominster, Massachusetts. Baseball is in his family as his father played for Assumption College in the early 90s. In high school, Johnathan Santucci attended one of the top private boarding schools in America at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. During his freshman year at Duke in ‘22, Santucci made 7 starts and was a reliever in 13 other games. He threw to a 4.17 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. Santucci then played in the Cape Cod League that summer of ‘22, making 5 starts with a 3.65 ERA. As a sophomore at Duke, the 6’2” lefty made 7 starts before his season was cut short because he had to get bone chips removed in his elbow. He returned in ‘24 as an All-ACC 1st Team Starting Pitcher. In 13 starts as a junior, Santucci went 6-1 with a 3.41 ERA in dominant fashion with 90 Ks in 58 innings pitched. His fastball tops off around 96 mph and he has a slider along with a changeup for his offspeed stuff.
Bryce Cunningham, RHP, Vanderbilt
Round 2, Pick 53 (Yankees)
