Mock Draft Monday 7/8 '24
The Language
The Language
- NFL Draft ‘25 Build a Board
- MLB Draft ‘24
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune for this Monday morning is The Language by Drake. It’s the 10th track off of his Nothing Was The Same album.
This song starts off with a subliminal diss at one of his peers. Cough, cough, Kendrick Lamar, cough, cough. It’s easy to tell because the next line that follows alludes to Kendrick’s verse on Control which drew plenty of reaction in the summer of ‘13, right before the album was released. I’m not an accountant, but it’s safe to assume at this point he made enough in his career that he could’ve retired before 65.
Starting in ‘10, Drake would host an OVO Fest every summer in Toronto. He’s also had plenty of summer hits and was mentored under Stunna, otherwise known as Birdman, otherwise known as the founder of Cash Money Records.
We’re just going to skip over the next lines of provocative obscenities, hey my mom’s reading this and it’s a sports blog, so that’s all that we do.
Again, I’m not an accountant so no need to listen, but I think it sounds like he may been avoiding some of Canada’s high taxes by using off-shore bank accounts. Pretty risky to admit in a song, but it’s safe for one to assume he’s got a good accountant.
Also, Italians do have some of the best foods. Plenty of options on the menu.
Parsing through plenty of this song, but it is fun to pick through lines and attempt to explain the meaning, especially to those who may not be hip-hop fans. Drake may not be everybody’s favorite but he’s got an uncanny amount of hits in his catalog.
Last week’s Mock Draft Monday on Connect, connected with 3 stud linemen from Penn State, LSU, and Georgia. It also reached all 3 of the Knicks’ 2nd Round picks, as well as the Rangers’ and Islanders’ 1st Rounders.
Enough of the small talk under the lyrics here, let’s just talk future ball…
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.
Ashton Gillotte, DT, Louisville
Ashton Gillotte is from Boca Raton, Florida, and coming out of high school he was a 3-star prospect. After not being highly recruited, Gillotte flashed as a freshman in ‘21 with 8 tackles for loss including 4 sacks. His role on the team grew in ‘22, as his 6 sacks earned him All-ACC honorable mentions to go with an All-ACC Academic selection. Ashton Gillotte’s junior year in ‘23 was his best one yet. He again earned Academic honors, but this time was named 1st Team All-ACC with 14.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. His 11 sacks were good for 9th in the nation. In 2 of Louisville’s biggest wins last year, Gillotte posted 2 sacks against Duke and 1.5 against Notre Dame. He is one of the more versatile defensive linemen in College Football. Weighing in around 270 lbs, he’s able to play with excellent pad level despite being 6’3”. His power and ability to get low make him a menace as an interior defensive pass rusher, but he also has the finesse and quickness to play off the edge as well.
Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss
Cleveland “Tre” Harris is from Lafayette, Louisiana, where he played QB for Comeaux High School. Out of high school, his first college was LA Tech. During his ‘20 freshman season, Harris redshirted while learning the ins and outs of the WR position. After making just 1 catch in ‘20, Harris made 9 starts in ‘21 with 40 receptions, 562 receiving yards, and 4 scores. During his 3rd year with LA Tech, Harris broke out for 935 receiving yards and 10 TDs while making national news with a SportsCenter #1 play on a one-handed grab. His ‘22 season at LA Tech earned him All-Confernce USA 1st Team. Tre Harris then transferred to Ole Miss to play for Lane Kiffin’s electric offense. As the Rebels #1 WR option, Harris had 54 catches for 985 yards and 8 TDs in ‘23. This upcoming season, Kiffin has added another option to the WR core in Juice Wells. Harris and Wells will make for an elite duo as Ole Miss looks to take the next step after their 11-2 season. Off the field, Tre Harris is still involved in the Lafayette community as this past June he hosted his inaugural Tre Harris Skills & Drills Camp. The football youth camp had over 150 kids from the Lafayette area. Good stuff!
Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon
Jabbar Muhammad is from a football family in DeSoto, Texas, which is right outside Dallas. His father, Elijah, played college ball at East Texas State, while his brothers EJ (Nevada) and Khalari (North Texas) played elsewhere. Initially out of high school, Jabar Muhammad played for Oklahoma State. From ‘20 to ‘22, the DB made 13 starts, most of which came his junior year in ‘22. That season he was named an honorable mention on the All-Big 12 team with his first career interception along with 10 pass deflections. After the ‘22 season, Muhammad transferred to Washington University in ‘23. For the Huskies, Muhammad immediately made 15 starts for the College Football runner-ups. His 16 pass breakups in ‘23 set a new Husky record as he also had a career-high 3 INTs. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Team and PFF College had him ranked the 6th best CB of the ‘23 season. After their loss to Michigan, Jabbar Muhammad has again elected to transfer this time to Washington’s rival, the Oregon Ducks. Aside from joining a talented defensive back room, one of Muhammad’s reasons for transferring to the Ducks was the city of Eugene. “This feels like a perfect city for me. I’m a laid back kid, I don’t really do too much. I binge-watch shows and watch football film. I just watched Narcos and just finished The Godfather. This is a good city, never traffic, perfect for me especially being from Dallas.” Solid movie and shows to watch. At 5’10”, Jabbar Muhammad is shifty and has good ball instincts. He’ll likely project to be more of a slot corner in the NFL with a chance at playing on the outside too.
Tyler Baron, Edge, Miami
Tyler Baron comes from a football family of Knoxville, Tennessee. His older brother, Woody, played college football at Virginia Tech and now plays up in the CFL. A 4-star prospect out of high school, Tyler Baron played for Knoxville Catholic which is right down the road from the Tennessee campus. During his first 3 years at Tennessee, Baron was used as a situational pass rusher and he picked up 7.5 sacks in 36 games. During his senior year of ‘23, the Knoxville native has his most impactful season with 6 sacks, 10.5 TFLs, and a fumble recovery scoop-n-score. Baron entered the transfer portal at the end of the ‘23 season and had plenty of options for where to play next. He originally was set to transfer to Ole Miss and then Louisville, before ultimately deciding on the Miami Hurricanes this upcoming season. At 6’5” and 260 lbs., Baron has experience as a standup linebacker and hand-in-the-dirt pass rusher. The experienced pass rusher will have a chance to mentor sophomore stud Rueben Bain Jr. (7.5 sacks as a freshman in ‘23) and headlines the Hurricanes’ additions to their defensive unit.
Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
Josh Conerly Jr. is from Seattle, Washington, where for the Rainier Beach Vikings he was the consensus top player high school recruit of the state. Before becoming an offensive lineman at Rainier Beach, Conerly Jr. was an RB as a freshman. During his freshman year at Oregon in ‘22, the 6’4” & 305 lbs. lineman appeared in 13 games as a part of the Duck’s special teams unit and offensive jumbo packages. For instance, he caught a TD against Colorado in ‘22 when he lined up as an eligible receiver from the LT position on the goal line. Aside from catching passes, that year Conerly didn’t allow a single pressure in his 27 pass-blocking opportunities. In ‘23 as a sophomore, Josh Conerly Jr. earned the Oregon blindside spot. He made 14 starts at LT while leading the team in snaps with 901 played. The coaches of the Pac-12 named Conerly Jr. an honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 team. In the 511 pass-blocking situations in ‘23, Conerly Jr. allowed just 1 sack and 17 total pressures. PFF College gave the sophomore a solid 78.8 pass-blocking grade. The Oregon Ducks have lost some key pieces on offense to the NFL with the likes of QB Bo Nix, C Jackson Powers-Johnson, and WR Troy Franklin going pro. The Ducks will now have lefty QB Dillon Gabriel behind a new team center, but Conerly Jr. said his focus heading this season is to try to, “Be the best leader and tackle I could be. Try to lead our offense to the #1 offense in the country and go get a Natty. That’s been our goal since I came in.” The Ducks will lean heavily on their athletic LT’s experience. Despite bulking up since his sophomore year of high school, it’s clear that Josh Conerly Jr. still brings plenty of athleticism to the blindside from his RB and jumbo TE days.
With the 1st Round of the ‘24 MLB Draft set for Sunday, here are 5 consensus Day 1 picks that played College Baseball this past season…
Charlie Condon, 3B, Georgia
Charlie Condon is from Marietta, Georgia, where in high school he was named the ‘21 Hitter of the Year for their region. Aside from his accomplishments on the diamond, Condon also played QB for his high school as the starter for 3 seasons. After not receiving a scholarship to his home state’s program, Condon walked on the Bulldog’s baseball team and redshirted for the entire ‘22 season. One would think standing at 6’6” would help you stick out, however, Charlie Condon was overlooked among College Programs because he was a late bloomer and it was in the middle of COVID. His father, Jim Condon, credits his redshirt season as a blessing in disguise as his son added 25 pounds while hitting the weight room and eating tons of peanut butter with chocolate milk. “It was like baseball boot camp.” The added chip on Charlie’s shoulder had him up, “Usually pretty late. It was after hours. It would be between 10 and midnight. Sometimes a little later.” Clearly the added practice paid off as the walk-on came out of nowhere to become the ‘23 National Freshman of the Year, batting .386 with 25 homers. Condon backed up his ‘23 season with an ever-better ‘24. As a redshirt sophomore, Charlie Condon hit an absurd .433 with 37 dingers (both being best in all the land). This earned the former walk-on the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, and the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award. Hitting aside, Condon has experience in the outfield as well as the corner spots in the infield. Not many players in any sports who don’t earn a scholarship to college go #1 overall in the pros, so Condon hopes to join the company of Baker Mayfield, the most recent.
(Source for quotes: OnlineAthens)
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State
Travis Bazzana comes from the land down under. The Sydney, Australia native hopes to become the 1st Aussie to ever be drafted #1 in the MLB Draft. In high school, Bazzana participated in Team Australia’s U18 Baseball World Cup in ‘19 while also dominating in Cricket as he captained Turramurra High School to its 1st state championship. He chose to play for Oregon State because “After spending time with staff and players, I felt certain that joining Beaver Nation would give me the best opportunity to grow as a person and player. I could also see myself building incredible lifelong relationships with the wonderful people apart of the family.” As a freshman in ‘22, Bazzana made the All-Pac 12 1st Team while also being named to the Freshman All-American Team as well. In 63 games in ‘22, Bazzana hit .306 with 6 homers and 14 steals. In ‘23, Bazzana improved at the plate to a .374 batting average with 11 homers and 36 steals. He spent last summer in the Cape Cod League where he won the league’s batting title with a .375 batting title. After making strides with his contact at the plate in ‘23, this year Bazzana hit 28 home runs while also posting a .407 batting average. While Bazzana has twice been named to the All-Pac 12 Defensive Team at 2B, his range in the field could also have him moving to CF in the pros. If the lefty bat with a very compact swing and stays as a second bagger, he could profile as a Rougned Odor type with potentially a better batting average and more of a steal threat on the bases.
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Florida
Jac Caglianone is from Tampa, Florida. He chose to take his talents to the Florida Gators because they are “the best academic school in Florida as well as an extremely well-coached, consistent, and an amazing track record as a team.” As a freshman in ‘22, Caglianone hit .288 with 7 homers and 27 RBIs primarily as the team’s DH while he was recovering from Tommy John. During his ‘23 sophomore campaign, Caglianone was named 1st Team All-American and the National Position Player of the Year. His home run total in ‘23 jumped to 33 dingers with 90 RBIs as he played 1st base while also starting 18 games as a pitcher with a 4.34 ERA. After being named a John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Finalist in ‘23, Jac Caglianone won the award this past season as he hit a career-high 35 home runs with a .419 batting average while making 16 starts with a 4.76 ERA and 5-2 record. At 6’5”, Caglianone has plenty of power at the plate and can touch triple digits on the mound. Whether Caglianone decides to stick to just hitting or attempt to become another Shohei Ohtani type of two-way player remains to be seen.
Tommy White, 3B, LSU
Tommy White is from St. Pete Beach, Florida, and the son of Tom White who played football at Benedictine University in the 80s. Built like a linebacker, Tommy White won the Under Armour Home Run Derby in high school. His first school out of high school was North Carolina State. As a freshman in ‘22, White was named the ACC Freshman of the Year as he batted .362 with 27 dingers and 74 RBIs in 55 games. After a stellar season, he transferred to LSU in ‘23 and brought his bat with him (.374 batting average, 24 homers). White’s 105 RBIs led the nation as he was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team on the team’s National Championship title run. This past season for the Tigers, Tommy White again slugged 24 more bombs and his 75 collegiate career home runs now rank him 8th all-time in the NCAA record books. Despite his free-swinging hitting style, the man knows how to barrel the ball. As a hitter, his power should transfer to the pros, but where he plays on the diamond may change. After DH-ing for most of his freshman year, he played third base for the Tigers but may end up as a 1st baseman in The Show.
Jurrangelo Cijntje, Switch Pitcher, Mississippi State
