@YouTheReader this is the first song on Drake’s debut album. I understand not everybody who reads Week to Week Notes is a fan of Drake, but I’ve always said I wouldn’t be able to write the way I do without his influence. I’m going to try this experiment for the Monday Mocks and I’m sure people will eventually catch on, but over time it could one day maybe help see what I’m trying to write.
The fact that Drake’s first bar on an album is about how he’s having a late night at the studio with so much on his mind that he wants to spit out gets overlooked. I don’t think he gets enough credit for laying out his plans from the onset. When So Far Gone came out in ‘09, Drake was pretty much a no-name rapper known for being an actor who played the character Wheelchair Jimmy on Degrassi. At this point in his real life though, he could sense things were starting to go his way so that is why he was anxious about doing as much while he had momentum ‘tonight.’
*Cough, cough, Week to Week Notes is written at night, cough, cough*
The “game” was the music industry. Love it or hate it, Drake makes music for all segments of the population. His music ranges from stuff you bump with your boys to R&B/Dance you can play in the background with your mother riding as a passenger. Prior to Drake, artists really either sang or rapped. Rappers didn’t sing too many hooks and singers looked foolish trying to rap.
**Cough, cough, Sports&Life, cough, cough, believe it or not, I’m really trying to create a media publication that can be insightful for people who read looking for a few minutes of distraction, cough, cough**
The closing lyrics to the first song on his first album are very telling. He reinforces that he is trying to do it all tonight because like everybody else alive, he’s only getting older. He has to think ahead because of the plans he referenced in his first line so in a sense his mind is always thinking about his next move rather than resting on his past/present laurels. He finds it funny that despite thinking he’s the best out there in rap (which would have sounded absurd to anyone listening to him for the first time in ‘09), he just hopes that he can maintain the momentum he has going - that it’ll last.
***Cough, cough, I won’t even bother trying to relate, cough, cough, this is just me coughing while I write this, cough, cough, caught a cold while drinking pints in the NY winter weather, cough, cough***
The Scout That Never Was
@FanInsiders you can do a Mock Draft of your own on FanSpeak.com. I only picked the Jets players, a computer-simulated the rest of your football teams. Only featuring certain teams for now. Every player has a hyperlink to a YouTube highlight tape if you want to check out their good tape.
Round 1
Pick 13 (Jets)
Traded away. Not for Aaron Rodgers but for the Houston Texans’ Round 2 Pick 2, Round 3 Pick 2, Round 3 Pick 12, Round 4 Pick 2, Round 5 Pick 2, and Round 6 Pick 10… The computer-run Houston Texans offered the deal and c’mon it’s more content for @YouTheReader if you’re interested in reading…
Jordan Addison was the ‘21 Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver) at Pitt before transferring to USC last season. Would be Mac Jones’ #1 WR immediately.
If it feels like every year Notre Dame has a stud TE entering the draft, that is because they are basically Tight End University. Mark Bavaro, Anthony Fasano, Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson, Tyler Eifert, Troy Niklas, and Cole Kmet, are some of the notable names.
The Jaguars gave up the 5th most passing yards in ‘22. While you could always add more pieces to help Trevor Lawrence, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add some secondary help if they want to compete with all the other elite AFC QBs. (Computer picked Banks here last week so this is a straight copy&paste.)
Zay Flowers was on the All-ACC First Team wide receiver who set the BC single-season mark in receiving touchdowns (12), tied the record for receptions in a season (78), and produced the third most receiving yards (1,077) in a season in BC history. A shifty WR they could pair with Wan'Dale Robinson.
Kelee Ringo was named to the AP and Coaches' All-SEC Second Team. Ringo could Starr opposite of Trevon Diggs. While Diggs plays Corner like a ballhawk, the Georgia CB plays with a much more physical.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming off a ‘22 season where he only played 2 games due to injury. His ‘21 Rose Bowl MVP performance where he had 15 receptions, for 3 TDs and 347 receiving yards was the stuff of legends. Injuries and questions over if he is limited to being a slot WR, where he lined up over 80% of his snaps throughout his career, would be the reason he falls to the 2nd Round. If so, the Jets should reunite him with Garrett Wilson, who admitted between himself, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, JSN was their best WR of the foursome during their tenure together.
O’Cyrus Torrence was the first Gator offensive guard to be named a Consensus All-American. Torrence played for LSU before Florida, where he was a part of 2 Joe Moore Award Semifinalist offensive line units. My thought process here is to kick Alijah Vera-Tucker to Left Tackle, where he was effective for a bit in ‘22.
Anton Harrison in ‘22 played 447 pass block snaps, allowed only 1 sack, gave up no QB hits and had an 83.3 PFF pass block grade. (Source: @PFF_College) Harrison has experience in both OT positions.
With or without Jeff Wilson (set to be a FA), adding another homerun threat like Achane to this offense would only make Miami that much more dynamic. (Computer picked Achane here last week so this is a straight copy&paste.)
Led the College Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in receiving yards per game with 112.9. Rice’s 1,355 receiving yards (3rd) and 8.0 receptions per game (5th) ranked him at the top of all of College Football. At 6’2”, Rice’s physical play makes him look even bigger and his speed should translate in the NFL.
At 6’7” and 270 pounds, Darnell Washington, stood out on the College Football field and will do the same in the pros. With Engram set to be a free agent, he could be his replacement or a great compliment to WR in the TE’s body. Would be a great big body for Sunshine to throw to.
Recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy awarded by the National Football Foundation to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. It is considered by many to be the "Academic Heisman.” Jack Campbell was also the winner of the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the nation.
Tyler Scott was on the Biletnikoff Award Watchlist entering the ‘22 season. His 4.29 40-time should translate in the NFL and I’m sure Jerry Jones wouldn’t mind watching his speed in Dallas.
Tippmann ‘22 played in 12 games, starting the entire regular season at center. He logged the offensive line’s best run-blocking grade, according to PFF (78.0), and allowed only one sack with five pressures over 338 pass-blocking snaps. (Source: UWBadgers.com) The Badgers always seem to have good O-Lines so maybe the Jets find their long-term answer at Center with a guy out of Wisconsin.
Keion White in ‘22 as a pass rusher produced 40 total pressures, which included 29 QB hurries, 4 QB hits, and a decent 7 sacks. (Source: NFL Draft Buzz) At 24 years old, White will be a bit of an older rookie in the NFL, but unfortunately, he transferred to Georgia Tech entering his junior year in ‘20 and missed ‘21 with an injury.
Andre Carter II had a terrific junior season in ‘21 where he had 15.5 sacks. His ‘22 season didn’t reach the same sack heights, but his draft stock watch was relevant enough that a U.S. bill was revised so that Carter could possibly reach the NFL immediately after graduating from Army. Graduates of military academies -- namely Army, Navy, and Air Force -- are typically required to fulfill two years of active-service duty immediately following graduation. (Source: NFL.com)
Nothing against CJ Mosley the player on or off the field, but the sooner the Jets could get off his massive contract so they can allocate the money elsewhere the better in my opinion. If not this year then next. (I picked Sewell here last week so this is a straight up copy&paste.)
The Patriots traded for DeVante Parker giving up this 3rd Round pick in exchange for Parker and the Dolphins’ 5th Round pick in’23. Benton looks big. (Computer picked Benton here last week so this is a straight copy&paste.)
Luke Schoonmaker was named twice to the All-Big Ten Team. He shared Most Improved Player (Offense) honors in ‘21. (Source: MGoBlue.com) Schoonmaker could be Mike Gesicki’s replacement if the Dolphins don’t retain him. The only difference is Michigan’s 5th-year Senior is more of a block-first type of TE.
Kyu Blu Kelly was an All-Pac-12 second-team defensive back - Coaches, Phil Steele (2021) and All-Pac-12 honorable mention - PFF (2021). (Source: Stanford) The Powder Blue Chargers could use Kyu Blu.
In ‘22, Nick Herbig was First-team All-Big Ten (Consensus), CBS Sports second-team All-American, Walter Camp second-team All-American, AFCA second-team All-American, AP third-team All-American. He led the Badgers with 11.0 sacks and 15.5 TFLs. (Source: Wisconsin) Herbig is a stand-up linebacker with pass-rushing skills.
Kendre Miller broke out in his ‘22 junior season, running for 1342 yards on 216 attempts for 6.2 yards per, with 17 TDs. At 6’ and 220 pounds, Miller’s bruising style would make for a nice complement to Saquon Barkley’s backfield.
Keondre Coburn may not get the flashy stats like tackles and sacks, but he did receive recognition for eating up blockers when he was named 2nd-team All-Big 12 Selection by both the Big 12 Conference head coaches and the AP. He will play nose tackle in NFL and if Dallas is hoping to improve their run defense (ranked 22nd in opponent rushing yards in ‘22), he may be worth a late 3rd round pick.
Ronnie Hickman’s nickname is “Rocket.” The Rocket out of The Ohio State University led their team in tackles with 100. Hickman is also a Tri-State local from Wayne, NJ, and he attended DePaul Catholic High School.
Arquon Bush played slot corner in between Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant for much of his time at Cincinnati. He moved to the outside in ‘22 and flashed some potential ball skills as you see in the GIF above.
In ‘22 Nathaniel Dell was named a Team Captain of his Houston Cougars squad. He also led the nation in receiving yards (1,398) and receiving touchdowns (17). The only thing that may hold back Nathaniel “Tank” Dell from being drafted earlier is he only weighs 165 pounds. Even if the slight frame may deter teams from drafting Tank as the focal point of their offense, his speed and twitch should at least make him an above-average NFL punt returner.
Pick 6 (Patriots): Jartavius Martin, S, Illinois
Quan Martin is what the Safery out of Illinois prefers to go by. In his ‘22 season, Martin finished 8th in the nation in passes defended (14) and his tackling grade of 90.9 according to PFF, ranked #2 in the nation.
Zakhari Franklin might be the mid-to-late-round gem from a small school skill position player that I always try to find while doing mock drafts. Even though this is the 3rd WR I’ve mocked to the Jets, think of it more like throwing darts blindfolded. Franklin in ‘22 set UTSA single-season records for receptions (81), receiving yards (1,027), receiving yards per game (79.0) and receiving touchdowns (12). While the odds may be stacked against Franklin due to his lack of big-school competition, he did dominate who was on his schedule so you have to give him that.
The Buckeye’s Center is from Montvale, NJ, and went to high school at St. Joseph’s Regional. Wypler snapped the ball every play on the offense that ranked #1 in the nation in total offense yards and scoring offense. Ohio State’s offense also ranked in the Top 5 nationally in 2021 in passing (3rd; 380.9), passing efficiency (2nd; 182.3), and third down conversions (2nd; 52 pct.) (Source: THE Ohio State University)
Finished his career at Missouri with 16.5 career sacks (good for 13th in school history) and was increasing his sack total each year he was there. (Source: Missouri) (Computer picked McGuire here last week so this is a straight copy&paste.)
Pro Football Focus' Second-Highest Rated Defensive Player in the Country. (Source: Cincinnati) (Computer picked Pace Jr. here last week so this is a straight up copy&paste.)
Jarrick Benard-Converse is a 6’1” Corner who started his college career with Oklahoma State before transferring to LSU. He started 56 games in college, defended 31 career passes, and had 4 career interceptions. Honestly, I’m just learning a bit about him and wanted the Jets 5th Round to have 2 Corners with 3 names.
Named Michigan’s Offensive Skill Player of the Year in ‘22. Tore his ACL in ‘21 and came back to Ann Arbor as a graduate student to produce his best season. His high school prep stats rank him top 3 in Missouri state history in receptions, yards, and touchdowns with NFL players Dorial Green-Beckham and Jeremy Maclin. (Source: Michigan)
@GiantsFans wouldn’t it be a real kicker if the G-Men selected Zach Wilson’s backup QB in the 5th Round and he ended up turning into your guy?
Round 6
Alright, I’m only doing the Jets this deep into the draft. @YouTheReader it’s not even February yet so we’ll have plenty of Mondays before the draft at the end of April.
Honestly just saw a WR from Princeton so I took a chance on him because I figured he must be pretty good to be on any draft board if you played at Princeton. It turns out Andrei Iosivas is a Hawaiian with jets.
Round 7
Yeah… the Jets don’t currently have a 7th Round pick so I ended it here… Maybe next Mock Monday.
YouTube Rabbithole
Shane MacGown on Fairytale of NY
Alright, so somebody who has always looked out for me and has known me since I was born sent me this over the weekend. I bookmarked it and planned to not use it until the “right time”, but then again when exactly would be the “right time” for something that I plan on watching first thing in the morning right before I get out of bed?
As Shane MacGowan states, “I do lose a lot of stuff, but if I lose a song I just write another one. The songs are just floating around in the air. That’s why we call tunes ‘airs.’ And we just reach out and grab them. That’s why I’m always grabbing. ‘Cause if I don’t reach out and grab it myself, it’ll go on and get to Paul Simon. I anticipated being big on the east coast of America because I knew all about the New York Irish and the New Jersey Irish… I have cousins over there…I’m obsessed with America because it’s always been a dream world to me. All those Irish people went to America. All the dreams they had and half of them died on the boat on the way… You know that lovely line… ‘I could’ve been someone’ and then she says ‘well so could anyone.’ That’s what it’s about.”
@YouTheReader you may not fully get where I’m coming from with this YouTube Rabbithole now, but there is a reason it’ll be the default copy&paste YouTube Rabbithole for Week to Week Notes moving forward whenever I can’t stumble into a hole on my own. Whatever you may think of Shane MacGowan, the ends justify the means, the man was brilliant enough to provide a Christmas tune that will be sung for as long as people hang out in pubs.
No NFL this weekend before the Super Bowl so Friday will be Local Winter Sports, cheers!