Mock Draft Monday 7/29 '24
Too Much (II)
Too Much (II)
- NFL Draft ‘25 Build a Board
- UConn Basketball
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s 2nd verse from Too Much. This is the 12th song off the album and I figured I split up the verses since it’s probably one of his more underappreciated songs.
The sample of this song comes from Sampha’s song of the same name which came out earlier in ‘13. Sampha sings the chorus and plays the piano in this song.
I never thought about this Too Much but the first verse from last week is all about the internal pressures he felt at the start of his career, while this verse is about external pressures more out of his control.
Backwoods is a cheap cigar that is typically used for marijuana consumption. I didn’t know anything about this, I read it on The Google. Anyway, he’s using that to cope with family troubles.
The co-producer on this song is Paul Jefferies, also known as Nineteen85. He told Billboard Magazine, “There's an honesty in the way Drake raps on it that we don't often hear from him - he's touching on personal topics, like family. The beat [which features a hook from Sampha] works with what he's saying. It's one of the songs that's not as fun, that brings different emotions to the music."
As Nineteen85 mentioned, this song is one of the rare times in the hitmaker’s career that you hear a human side rather than an unrelatable larger-than-life artist. At the start of his career, his mother, Sandi, was bedridden from osteoporosis. (The Sun) He’s trying to tell her she can still go out and enjoy life. The good news is she still attends his shows to this day.
The “M-Town” here is Memphis, Tennessee. It’s where his dad’s from and where he would stay as a kid during summers away from Toronto. As you can tell, all this pent-up emotion has him feeling pinned down. He can either pick the pen up (try to write about it), or it might cause writer’s block (putting the pen down). Even though he’s away or they’ve grown distant, they’re still family and he’s still the same him.
Great tune and has always been a favorite even though it’s not the type of song you’d ever play at parties. There’s only one more track left off the album for next Monday, and then it’s on to the bonus tracks.
Today, on to the sports…
Olympics Medal Tracker
As of midnight on Sunday, the United States has collected 12 medals, the most so far, but we trail Japan’s Gold by 1.
Gold
- Torri Huske (Swimming Women’s 100M Butterfly)
- Lee Kiefer (Fencing Women’s Individual Foil)
- Swimming Men’s 4x100M Freestyle Relay
Silver
- Nic Fink (Swimming Men’s 100M Breaststroke)
- Gretchen Walsh (Swimming Women’s Women’s 100M Butterfly)
- Lauren Scruggs (Fencing Women’s Individual Foil)
- Haley Batten (Women’s Mountain Biking)
-Women’s 4x100M Freestyle Relay
- Sarah Bacon & Kassidy Cook (Women’s Synchronized 3m Springboard)
Bronze
- Carson Foster (Swimming Men’s 400M IM)
- Katie Ledecky (Women’s 400M Freestyle)
- Chloe Dygert (Women’s Time Trial in Cycling)
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.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
TreVeyon Henderson is from Hopewell, Virginia. At Hopewell High School, TreVeyon Henderson compiled over 4,000 career rushing yards and 50 TDs, without even playing his senior season with COVID. The 5-star prospect was the consensus #1 RB of his recruiting class and he chose to play for the Buckeyes. His collegiate career started with a bang in ‘21 as he rushed for 1,248 yards with 19 total TDs, an Ohio State freshman record. He returned in ‘22 as one of the top RBs in CFB and was playing like one until he broke his foot. He tried playing through the injury but was not 100% as in 8 games he totaled 571 rushing yards and 6 TDs. As a junior in ‘23, Henderson made his way back to his old form as he was named 1st All-Big 10. The 5’10” RB had 926 rushing yards with 11 TDs. While he very well could’ve entered the NFL Draft after his junior year, Henderson decided to return for one more year as a Buckeye. When healthy, TreVeyon Henderson runs with a smooth scurry. While not an overly large RB, he is compact enough to be a workhorse RB in the NFL.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
Quinshon Judkins is from Pike Road, Alabama. A 3-star prospect out of high school, Judkins decided to play for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. As a freshman, the 5’11” RB exploded onto the scene as the ‘22 SEC Freshman of the Year while being named consensus 1st Team All-SEC. His incredible ‘22 season ended up with 1,567 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs. He returned to Ole Miss in ‘23 and again was named 1st Team All-SEC, this time with 1,158 rushing yards and 15 rushing TDs. This offseason, Quinshon Judkins has transferred to Ohio State and will team up with TreVeyon Henderson to make the most electric RB rooms in CFB. Judkins has excellent quickness and balance. Sadly I don’t have the new College Football ‘25 video game, but apparently, his spin move alone has made Ohio State illegal to play in the competitive video gaming world.
Nic Anderson, WR, Oklahoma
Nic Anderson is from Katy, Texas. A 3-star prospect out of high school, Nic Anderson had offers from Notre Dame and Oregon but chose to play for the Sooners. His older brother, Rodney Anderson, is the former Sooners’ RB who played with Baker Mayfield in ‘17. After redshirting in ‘22, Nic Anderson broke out in ‘23 during his 3 catches for 120 yards and 3 scores in Week 2 against Tulsa. Anderson would end his season with 31 catches for 798 yards and 10 TDs, the most TD receptions from a freshman in Oklahoma history. At 6’4”, Nic Anderson has the size and big play-threat ability to play in the NFL.
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
Dillon Gabriel is from Mililani, Hawaii. His father, Garrett Gabriel, played QB for Hawaii in the 80s, throwing for 5,638 yards and 47 TDs. Despite Dillon Gabriel setting the state record with 9,948 passing yards and throwing 105 TDs (the most in Hawaii history), he was a 3-star prospect out of high school. His first college team was UCF, where as a true freshman he made 12 starts, throwing 29 TDs and 3,653 passing yards. He then followed that up in ‘20 with an All-AAC 2nd Team season of 3,570 passing yards while leading his conference in TDs with 32. In ‘21, Gabriel was again set to light up scoreboards at UCF, but broke his left clavicle and was done just 3 games into the season. After his 3 seasons at UCF, Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma as a part of the post-Lincoln Riley-era Sooners. Gabriel’s ‘22 season earned him the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year as he again threw for over 3,000+ passing yards along with 25 TDs. As a 5th-year senior in ‘23, Dillon Gabriel threw for a career-high 3,660 passing yards with a 69.3% completion percentage and 30 TDs to just 6 INTs. He also rushed for a career-high 373 yards with 12 rushing TDs. This earned him a unanimous spot on the All-Big 12 1st Team as he was named a Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Finalist. Dillon Gabriel has a 6th year of eligibility due to his injury in ‘21 and the COVID extra-year rule. The southpaw slinger decided to transfer from Oklahoma to the Oregon Ducks to replace Bo Nix behind center. He enters this upcoming College Football Season 4th in career total TDs (152), 7th in career total yards (15,925), and 8th in career passing TDs (125). Dillon Gabriel is also only 12 starts from the record of 61 career starts for a QB, set by Bo Nix.
Bear Alexander, DT, USC
Keithian “Bear” Alexander is from Terrell, Texas. After a couple of seasons playing Texas High School Football, he transferred to IMG Academy in Florida as a top recruit. At IMG Academy he played for Pepper Johnson, who played for Bill Parcells’ G-Men and coached defensive linemen for the Jets in ‘15. A consensus 5-star prospect, Alexander’s first school out of IMG was Georgia. As a freshman in ‘22, Bear Alexander came off the bench for 9 tackles, 3 of which were for a loss, and 2 being sacks. He transferred to USC in ‘23 and took over a starting role for the Trojans. Alexander recorded 48 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 4 QB hurries, and 2 forced fumbles as he was named an All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention. Bear Alexander gets his nickname from his father. He told WeAreSC, “It was my dad’s nickname and I kind of just wanted to live his name through a different way, I kind of just took on his nickname early.” At 6’3” and 315 lbs., Bear Alexander is an extremely versatile defensive lineman for USC. He has the quickness to line up as a defensive end on the outside and the size to line up as a defensive tackle. He should be set for a huge junior season.
With none of the major American sports having a draft to mock anytime soon, might as well start preparing for next year’s College Basketball season. This year the 2-time defending NCAA Champions will attempt to be the 2nd program in NCAA history to 3-peat. The only other men’s College Basketball program to win 3 championships in a row was UCLA during the John Wooden era.
Alex Karaban, PF, Junior
Alex Karaban is from Northborough, Massachusetts, where he started his high school days before going to school in New Hampshire and then accelerating his graduation at IMG Academy down in Bradenton, Florida. He was named the Gatorade New Hampshire Player of the Year for ‘20-21 after averaging 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. After redshirting for a year, Alex Karaban entered the starting lineup at UConn in ‘22-’23 and was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. In the past 2 seasons, Karaban has been a consistent cog in the UConn rotation. He’s made 77 starts, averaging 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 39% from beyond the arc. Karaban briefly entered the NBA Draft this offseason but after the NBA Combine decided to return to UConn for at least another year. The skillful powerful has been one of the team’s best players during their NCAA Championship runs and will likely be asked to shoulder more of a scoring load this upcoming season.
Hassan Diarra, SG, Senior
Hassan Diarra is from Queens, New York. In high school, Diarra played 2 years at Holy Cross in Queens before transferring to Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy. He finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer and helped get them to 2 straight National Prep Championships. The 4-star recruit initially chose to play for Texas A&M. As an Aggie for 2 seasons, Diarra mostly came off the bench to average 6.1 points per game. Following the ‘22 season, Hassan Diarra’s older brother became the Director of Player Development at UConn and Hassan decided to transfer back to the Northeast. As a junior, Diarra contributed to the UConn Championship off the bench, playing 12.6 minutes per game as a defense-first backup guard. Last year as a senior, Diarra again came off the bench for UConn. This time however he was a bit more assertive offensively, averaging 6.1 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 36% from 3. He was named the Big East Sixth Man of the Year. Known for his tough, New York, on-the-ball defense, Diarra will enter the season as an experienced 5th-year senior with a shot at a starting role.
Aidan Mahaney, PG, Junior
Aidan Mahaney is from Lafayette, California, where he played high school hoops at Campolindo High School. As a high school senior, he averaged 17.2 points per game while being named Bay Area NewsGroup Player of the Year. Out of high school, he decided to play for his local college program at Saint Mary’s in Moraga, California. After 9 games of coming off the bench as a freshman, Mahaney was entered into the starting lineup for the remainder of their season. He averaged 13.9 points per game while shooting 40% from beyond the arc and being named to both the All-WCC 1st Team + Freshman Team. Mahaney returned to Saint Mary’s as a sophomore and again was named All-WCC as he led the Gaels in scoring (471), minutes played (1130), field goals (168), three-pointers made (83, most in the WCC), and free throw percentage (81.3%). This offseason, Aidan Mahaney transferred to UConn. Mahaney and Diarra should work well off one another. Expect Diarra to draw more of the challenging defensive assignments and Mahaney to take on a bit more of the playmaking duties.
Tarris Reed Jr., C, Junior
Tarris Reed Jr. is from St. Louis, Missouri. In high school, Reed Jr. played 3 seasons at Chaminade College Prep where he averaged 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. During his senior year of high school, he transferred to Link Year Academy, averaging 9.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. A highly-touted college recruit, Tarris Reed Jr. participated in both the Jordan Brand and Iverson Classics. He decided to go to play for former Fab 5 Big, Juwan Howard, at Michigan. As a freshman, Reed Jr. came off the bench to average 3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and a block per game. During his sophomore season at Ann Arbor, Tarris Reed Jr. was named starter and his numbers improved to 9 points, 7.2 rebounds, & 1.4 blocks per game. This offseason, he decided to transfer to UConn. At 6’11”, Tarris Reed Jr. already has excellent offensive footwork in the paint that head coach Dan Hurley is looking forward to working with. Tarris Reed Jr. will attempt to replace Donovan Clingan as the Huskies’ top big.
Liam McNeeley, SF, Freshman
