NEW YORK, NY – Hey, what’s going on around town? The Mets and Yankees are in first place? Talk to me in September. The Knicks toughed out a few wins vs Detroit and are in position to move on? Let me know when they win a game or two against Boston… Damien Lilliard tore his achilles? Sorry to hear that, but not today. In my mind, the story is still one of the most entertaining NFL Drafts in recent history. We had Shedeur, Dart, Prank Calls, Coach Prime, Football’s Ohtani, pundit meltdowns – this one had it all. Let’s goooooo.
The Shedeur Slide
For all those hinting at racism and conspiracy theories, give me a Kaepernicking break.
Let’s make a list and some of the Sanders’ Family Shenanigans:
-Shedeur says if you don’t want a culture change, don’t pick him.
-Deion is on record saying they may have to “pull an Eli” if he gets drafted by a team like Cleveland.
-Deion says he wants to coach his son.
-Multiple reports claim that Shedeur was uninterested and unprepared in interviews. This included an alleged confrontation with Brian Daboll over Sanders not reading some homework Daboll gave him.
-Lots of footage flying around of Sanders acting like a jerk.
-Declined to throw at the combine.
-Declined to compete in the Senior Bowl.
Isn’t the most reasonable explanation that this behavior turned off teams? One reporter called the intel on Sanders “shocking.” Maybe some of it is overblown, but with that much smoke, there has got to be some kind of fire. And for a guy who’s an average athlete, without a great arm, who took 94 sacks in two seasons – teams decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze?
How do you think the “culture change” comment played in Pittsburgh? How do you think the “pull an Eli to get out Cleveland” comment played in Cleveland? How do you think head coaches felt about picking a guy who wants the team to fire you and hire his Dad?
Shedeur went from the second QB drafted to the second QB drafted by his own team. Oopsies.
Drunk Drafting
Speaking of the Cleveland Browns, they drafted like they were hammered. They called Travis Hunter “football’s Ohtani” then traded back instead of taking him. They passed on Shedeur to take Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, then later took Shedeur too. The QB room is going to look like a line of meth heads waiting to get Walter White’s blue. They also took two running backs. What were they drinking?
We love Hunter. No let’s trade him.
We hate Shedeur, let’s draft Dillon. Wait, let’s draft Shedeur.
Let’s take a RB. Oh wait, we already did that.
I haven’t seen this much indecision since Daniel Jones left town. I’m not saying it won’t work out. Sometimes drunk decisions do work out. Like the time I told Jenny Mendlebaum I’ve loved her since the 7th grade. Sure, she laughed, but I got the closure I needed.
Dart Throw
It was weird how there was a lot of negative talk about Jaxson Dart before the draft. But when the Giants traded up to get him, all of the sudden it was a genius move.
My dude definitely has some 80’s bad guy QB/rich hockey player/frat boy vibes. But screw it, all you can do as a Giants’ fan is buy-in and hope it works out. Hope that Daboll can turn him into Josh Allen 2.0 – maybe not as good, but without the playoff choking. I want to see this dude chill for a full year, and the fan base be patient when Russ inevitably struggles. Fat chance on the latter.
Epic MEL-t Down
It was funny watching “Mel’s Best Available 1. Shedeur Sanders” scroll across the screen for 3 days unchanged. Kiper had Sanders ranked ahead of Cam Ward as his top QB.
When Shedeur was finally drafted, Mel launched into a “the NFL is clueless when it comes to analyzing QBs” rant. Reese Davis was gentle with his “no one is batting a thousand here” retort, presumably referring to Kiper’s long list of QB misses. This included promising to retire if Notre Dame’s Jimmy Claussen didn’t become a successful NFL quarterback. Well, Jimmy Claussen did not come close to becoming a successful NFL QB, but Mel is still there.
Kiper strikes me a joyless buffoon, uncomfortable talking about anything but football. Has the guy ever laughed on air? He should have taken the high road and said “I think the league is making a mistake here, we’ll see how it plays out.” If Sanders flops, Kiper’s rep will take a big hit, but ESPN surely loved the soap opera.
A Giant Haul
Many pundits have given the Giants an A grade for their draft. That and 10 20 bucks will get you a Happy Meal, but it does seem promising.
Regardless of whether Dart works out or not, the Giants picked a great spot to move up ahead of Cleveland without giving up too much. The execution was good. For once, they did not get outmaneuvered. Supposedly, they decided on Dart in January.
They had to take a shot at a QB. Imagine if the Giants go 7-10 next year. But in scenario one: Russell fades down the stretch, Dart gets a little playing time and shows some positive signs, including some chemistry with Nabers. Scenario two: same record but they didn’t draft a QB and have no young QB hope. Daboll and Schoen would likely be gone.
Besides Dart, they added what might be the best player in the draft in Carter, giving the Giants a plethora of pass rushers, going back to their roots. They also added a quality player on both lines, and a RB with Tasmanian Devil, run-through-a -wall energy.
You know what? I have this strange feeling in my belly – it almost feels like optimism. They should at least be competitive on both sides of the ball. If Dart becomes the guy, Schoen and Daboll have a chance to save their legacies.
That’s it for me. Come back tomorrow for a guy whose legacy is not in doubt, Angry Ward.
