Song of Summer ‘23 Tournament | Marvin’s Room | NFL Draft ‘24 | Fairleigh Dickinson
Alright @YouTheReader,
Before I get into character going into an Aaron Rodgers-esque Darkness Retreat in preparation for Drake’s Marvin’s Room, here is an update on the Song of the Summer ‘23 bracket…
Polling will be up on the Instagram Story later today, you can also vote below.
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There are a lot of different angles I could use with Drake’s Marvin’s Room as a thematic concept for this Mock Draft Monday. At this point, the internet has basically made this song a Meme or the song put on in the background of a sad situation. This is the quintessential Aubrey.
The iconic phone call intro heard around the world. Ericka Lee was an ex-girlfriend of Drake’s. She filed suit for these lyrics in an LA Court in ‘12 before Drake & Miss Lee settled their differences outside of court a year later. (Source: Song Facts)
So the premise of the song is a drunk Drake calling an ex-girlfriend. Never a great idea but as Billboard put the song is, ‘the age-old adage a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.’ (Source: Billboard’s Songs That Defined the Decade)
Marvin’s Room is probably one of Drake’s better story-telling songs. The simple somber beat produced by Noah “40” Shebib along with the phone call conversations makes the song very distinct. It paints a picture of a 25-year-old rapper drunk dialing while hiding from a crowd at a party.
It became very popular because not too many rappers if any at this time or before, were this overtly vulnerable (except maybe Kanye). 40 has a better quote of what I mean by that, “The easiest thing to do is be like, ‘I’m the coolest guy, I get all the girls, I’m untouchable. The hard thing to do is be vulnerable and honest.” (Source: Billboard)
40 told the Vibe, “Sometimes. I challenge Drake when it comes to decision-making. He didn’t want to put ‘Marvin’s Room’ on Take Care and I was like, “Bro, f*** you, you’ve gotta put this on there. It’s a moment.”
The reason for the name being “Marvin’s Room” is simply because this was recorded in Marvin Gaye Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. 40 cooked up the beat in only a few hours there.
Lastly, yeah I’ll be honest I didn’t really know how to use this tune for a Mock Draft Monday. I could’ve just put a bunch of funny memes under the lyrics and called it a day, but whether you like the song or not, I just felt Marvin’s Room ain’t a throwaway track.
For context, this song came out in ‘11 and according to YouTube the official video didn’t get uploaded until ‘18… it has over 130 million listens despite not being promoted on Drake’s page… so people have to go out of their way to search to listen to this song. Plus that’s just YouTube, who knows what this streams on music platforms?
In my opinion, this tune resonated because most guys, in general, aren’t great at uh communicating. I could be wrong to speak on behalf of most guys, but it’s not really in our nature. Not saying that’s necessarily a good thing, just being frank. Clearly, this song struck a chord with people and that is what music is supposed to do.
Sam Hartman is from Charlotte, North Carolina. After a historic career at Wake Forest where he earned his starting job as a freshman in preseason, Hartman decided to transfer this past offseason to Notre Dame for his final year of college eligibility. While at Wake Forest from ‘18 to ‘22, Hartman set the ACC record for career TD passes with 110 while also throwing for the 2nd most yards in ACC history with 12,967 career passing yards. He holds all the QB records at Wake Forest and with another stellar season with the Irish may even break Case Keenum’s NCAA career passing TD record of 155. Despite all the great play, somehow Hartman never made All-ACC 1st Team but received 2nd Team acclaim in ‘21 and 3rd Team acclaim in ‘22. Last season, Hartman was also the winner of the Brian Piccolo Award, which has been given out annually since 1970 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the “most courageous” football player in the ACC. Hartman had been diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome (effort thrombosis) where he had to get a rib removed in order to get rid of a blood clot. In his Notre Dame debut, Sam Hartman showed out in Dublin throwing as many TD passes as he did incompletions. If Hartman can lead the Fightin’ Irish into contention in the College Football Playoff, his draft stock will assuredly rise.
Tyler Nubin is from Saint Charles, Illinois where he played WR at Saint Charles High School. This upcoming College Football season will be Nubin’s 5th year with the Minnesota program. After playing sparingly in ‘19 and ‘20, the 6’2” safety broke into the starting lineup as a junior in ‘21. He led the Gophers in interceptions with 3 to go along with 52 tackles and a sack. This earned Nubin an honorable mention in the All-Big Ten. He backed up his ‘21 campaign with an even better ‘22 where he had 55 tackles and 4 INTs, earning Nubin All-Big Ten 2nd Team. Not only is Nubin a star on the football field, but he is also a 3-time Academic All-Big Ten. Tyler Nubin likely would have been drafted in the ‘23 NFL Draft but came back to Minnesota for another year to improve his draft stock. Nubin has received tips from his former Minnesota teammate and current NFL star safety Antoine Winfield who said of Nubin, "He's going to have an awesome senior year. He's going to ball out, and he'll be playing up here, against me or with me.”
Luke Lachey’s hometown is Columbus, Ohio. The Hawkeyes have produced some real NFL talent through the years including the likes of George Kittle, Dallas Clark, TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant, and last year’s 2nd-round pick Sam LaPorta. Lachey is a redshirt junior looking to become the next in line to carry the mantle in the Iowa TE tradition. Back in ‘21, Lachey provided depth on their depth chart catching 8 balls for 133 yards in 3 starts. He earned himself the Coaches Appreciation Award on offense and was Academic All-Big Ten. Last year in ‘22, Lachey was Academic All-Big Ten for the 2nd straight season and saw more playing time on the field which earned him honorable mention All-Big Ten. His numbers improved in the passing game as he caught 28 passes for 398 receiving yards and 4 TDs while still providing great run-block ability. At 6’6” and 253 lbs, Lachey will provide an NFL team with a big-bodied TE receiver not afraid to block in the run game.
Terrion Arnold is from Tallahassee, Florida. After redshirting as a freshman in ‘21, Arnold made the most of his playing time last year where earned 7 starts to go with 11 games played. The 6’ CB was named Freshman All-SEC Team for his 45 tackles, 9 pass breakups, and 1 INT. Arnold this season will play the opposite of ‘Bama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry. Alabama head coach, Nick Saban, said of Arnold, “I think anybody that gets experience playing, which he got experience last year, I think he has a better understanding. He also has a little more maturity about what he needs to do to perform well.” Saban tends to know a thing or two about CBs so expect Arnold to take another step this year.
There are a few Kris Jenkins that come to mind when I read that name. The Villanova March Madness hero as well as the former Panthers & Jets All-Pro. This Kris Jenkins is now making a name for himself and he is the latter’s son. The senior Michigan defensive tackle is from Olney, Maryland. Last year with the Wolverines, Jenkins was an All-Big Ten honorable mention. He started all 14 games and led all Michigan defensive linemen in tackles with 54. Jenkins also had 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 QB hurries. His Michigan teammates have nicknamed this Kris Jenkins “The Mutant” because of his alien-like athleticism and size that reminds me of when his dad played in the NFL.
Ansley Almonor is from Spring Valley, New York. Almonor played his high school hoops at St. Joe’s Regional in Montvale, New Jersey. As a senior at St. Joe’s, Almonor averaged 15 points along with 8 rebounds and was named First Team All-Bergen County Jamboree. Last season for the FDU Knights Almonor averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 38% from 3 along with 4.8 boards. The 6’7” junior played center for FDU last season and was the team’s tallest player as they defeated Purdue’s center Zach Edey (7’4”) during March Madness last year. Almonor played like a giant to get FDU into the 1st Round, scoring 23 points and 8 rebounds against Texas Southern in their First Four matchup. To cap his ‘22-’23 season, Almonor was named the NEC’s Most Improved Player.
Joe Munden Jr. grew up in Harlem, New York. This will be Munden’s 4th year in the FDU program as he has amassed 31 starts in 74 games played. As a freshman, Munden showed promise for the Knights being named NEC All-Rookie Team. Last season, Munden improved his game up another level as he averaged 10.6 points per game on an extremely efficient 47% from the field. This year expect the Monsignor Scanlan alum to handle more of the ball-handling responsibilities as a combo wing guard.
Sean Moore is originally from Colombus, Ohio. The 6’4” senior forward transferred last season to FDU with former FDU head coach Tobin Anderson. Moore got 24 starts last season and played in 36 games where he averaged 7.3 points with 4.6 rebounds. Moore shined bright during FDU’s upset over #1 Seed Purdue, putting 19 points to lead the Knights in scoring. Off the court, Sean Moore is building his own clothing line and has partnered with @athletesthread.
DeVante Jamison’s hometown is Dorchester, Massachusetts. The 5’7” point guard is lightning quick so he is nicknamed “Bullet.” Jamison is a graduate transfer who comes from St. Thomas Aquinas, a Division II school in Orangeburg, New York. “Bullet” is the 4th STAC player to transfer to FDU since ‘22. At STAC last season, Jamison averaged 14.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. This garnered Jamison NABC All-District Second Team, Second Team All-Met, ECC First Team All-Conference, D2CCA Second Team All-Region, and he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECC tournament.
Jo’el Emanuel was born in Israel, grew up in the UK, and played his high school ball in Suffern, New York for the Mounties. A two-year captain of the basketball team at Suffern, Emanuel averaged 14.0 points per game, and in track won the Rockland County title in both high jump & triple jump. As a freshman at FDU, Emanuel played in 37 games and started twice. Emanuel earned national recognition for his alley-oop in the GIF above as ESPN’s Sunday Night Countdown featured this dunk in their "You Got Mossed!" segment. The 6’6” sophomore is not all hops, he also has brains as he was named to the NEC Winter Academic Honor Roll. Up Rockland!
YouTube Rabbithole
Marvin’s Room 1996 Trailer
I had no idea that Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Robert De Niro were in a movie called Marvin’s Room.