#The Giant Among Us starring Troy Baker

[sanctaignorantia]

Okay let me put things into perspective so we can consider the fact that maybe that Giant is the Troy Baker among us.

I'm going to use meters because that's the unit we use here.

Troy -> 1,91 m

Ashley -> 1,63 m

Bella -> 1,56 m (like me)

Pedro -> 1,80 m

Kojima -> 1,73 m

Norman Reedus -> 1,78 m

Emily -> 1,68 m

Tommie -> 1,78 m

Lindsay -> 1,75 m

[junker-town]

20 players to know in this year’s Senior Bowl

NFL Draft prospects like Justin Herbert and Neville Gallimore are taking part in the 2020 Senior Bowl.

The Senior Bowl is loaded this year with everyone from small-school standouts to big-name QBs.

The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, is one of football’s most hectic and strange weeks. It begins with a creepy weigh-in sandwiching a few days of practices, before ending with a meaningless game.

Still, it’s one of the premier events in the run up to the 2020 NFL Draft. Every year, prospects help (or hurt) their draft stock with a good week of practice or a breakout performance in the Senior Bowl.

With that in mind, here are 20 players to know in this year’s event.

4 quarterbacks to keep an eye on

Last year, Daniel Jones’ Senior Bowl performance caught the attention of Giants GM Dave Gettleman, who drafted Jones with the No. 6 pick. This year, there are two potential first-round picks playing.

1. Justin Herbert

It was sort of surprising seeing Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert participate in the Senior Bowl. Over the years, plenty of top quarterbacks have dropped out of the all-star game, but maybe things are changing. After all, eventual No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield practiced leading up to the 2018 game. Herbert most likely isn’t in contention for the Cincinnati Bengals and the first pick, so he could have just been seeing the writing on the wall regarding his draft stock.

By all accounts, Herbert had a good week of practices. He was lauded for a strong arm that zipped through heavy winds and his ability to place the ball in the right spot.

Justin Herbert hits Austin Mack deep. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/ttGqphQEkO

— Austin Silvey (@SilveyESP) January 21, 2020

For his efforts, Herbert was named the best practice player of the week.

Oregon QB Justin Herbert named 2020 @seniorbowl Practice Player-of-the-Week. pic.twitter.com/QLepYu76vd

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 24, 2020

Herbert had an up-and-down season at Oregon, and some of that can be blamed on his receivers dropping passes.

2. Jordan Love

The same can be said about Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

Love is a confounding prospect. His numbers dropped in 2019 compared to 2018, but he also lost most of the offense around him. That included offensive coordinator David Yost, who left Utah State for Texas Tech. According to reports, Love showed some during practices why he’s considered a first-round talent.

3-4. Jalen Hurts and Anthony Gordon

After those two, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, this year’s Heisman runner-up, is the biggest name. But Anthony Gordon of Washington State is the more interesting player.

Gordon started only a season for the Cougars while sitting behind walking meme Gardner Minshew. Gordon’s 2019 stats are eye-popping. He put up 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns, with 570 yards and nine touchdowns alone coming against UCLA.

The 7 best players in this year’s game (non-QB edition)

While the quarterbacks get most of the attention, there are some big-name prospects at other positions in the Senior Bowl.

1. Javon Kinlaw

Unquestionably the top player participating this year is South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw. In the weigh-in session to start the week, Kinlaw starred with an 84-inch wingspan on his 6’5 and lean 315-pound frame. Yes, that is extremely strange to write, but it’s part of draft season. Kinlaw is a possible top-10 pick and did nothing to hurt his status.

2. Marlon Davidson

Auburn’s Marlon Davidson is another big defensive lineman who didn’t disappoint. Look at what he can do at just under 300 pounds:

Marlon Davidson vs John Simpson pic.twitter.com/UfXeH7NrKj

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 22, 2020

3. Josh Jones

Another part of draft season is skyrocketing offensive tackles. We’ve seen it annually. Last year it was Andre Dillard and Tytus Howard jumping into the first round. This year, Houston’s Josh Jones could become a hot name, starting with a standout week of practices. Jones is known for his quick feet, but he got plenty of attention for violent, powerful hands.

josh jones is on another level pic.twitter.com/t6kUIiKqHS

— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) January 23, 2020

4. Ashtyn Davis

Football all-star games are typically bad settings for safeties because the setting neuters their aggression in the secondary and doesn’t allow them to blitz. That’s why California’s Ashtyn Davis didn’t grab a ton of headlines this week He’s still a potential top-100 player.

5. Jared Pinkney

The 2020 draft is a good one for tight ends, and one of the best ones is participating in the Senior Bowl. Vanderbilt’s Jared Pinkney is a likely top-100 pick as well, but he was injured much of the season and had just 20 receptions.

6. Jonathan Greenard

Florida pass rusher Jonathan Greenard is another player who struggled this season with injuries. Still, in his only season at Florida after transferring from Louisville, Greenard had 9.5 sacks.

7. Brandon Aiyuk

Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was a late scratch at the event, unfortunately. A lingering injury sidelined Aiyuk from the event, but he still weighed in an eye-catching 81-inch wingspan. Aiyuk has top-50 buzz, and if teams are looking for their own Deebo Samuel, he fits the bill this draft.

5 players who had a breakout week

These players all turned heads in Senior Bowl practice this week.

1. K.J. Hill

The Senior Bowl has been kind in the past to wide receivers. Terry McLaurin started building his draft stock at the Senior Bowl last year and looks like a budding star in Washington. Fellow Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill is on the same trajectory. After a sort of ordinary season of 57 receptions for 636 yards, Hill’s draft process is critical. Catches like this one help:

Jordan Love hits Ohio State’s K.J. Hill who makes a ridiculous one handed grab at the Senior Bowl practice.@KayJayHill pic.twitter.com/96mTM5ttHm

— The Field Today (@TheFieldToday) January 23, 2020

2. Denzel Mims

Baylor’s Denzel Mims is another receiver who impressed during the week. Look at him pull in this one from Love:

Jordan Love to Denzel Mims down the sideline. Baylor’s Denzel Mims stock is going way up. pic.twitter.com/pGK3Y8TkJS

— Connor Livesay (@ConnorNFLDraft) January 22, 2020

Mims should be a good mid-round pick up for a team looking for a speed receiver who just happens to be nearly 6’3. Mims has all the makings of being a draft gem.

3. Van Jefferson

Florida’s Van Jefferson, another wide receiver, got his share of plaudits as well.

Here’s what The Ringer’s Danny Kelly wrote about Jefferson in his Senior Bowl recap: “At 6-foot-1, Jefferson played bigger than his weigh-in weight of 197 pounds, putting on a route-running clinic while using quick footwork to sink his hips and make sharp cuts to gain separation.”

4. Troy Pride

LSU’s Kristian Fulton and TCU’s Jeff Gladney accepted their invites to the game, but dropped out late. That left the cornerback position a little light in talent.

Notre Dame’s Troy Pride had a strong week after underwhelming at the weigh-in with relatively short arms (31 3/8 inches) and wingspan (73 3/4 inches). On the field, though, he was praised for his toughness and ability to play the ball.

#NotreDame DB Troy Pride vs. #OhioState WR KJ Hill should be on pay-per-view. Great weeks for both of them #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/7Eeu56zNsQ

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 23, 2020

5. Lloyd Cushenberry

It’s also sort of strange to say a player from the national title-winning LSU team had a breakout performance, but that’s the case for center Lloyd Cushenberry. That’s as much to do with the other players at his position than anything else. Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz didn’t have quite the season many expected and Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey returned to school. Both of those things help Cushenberry’s draft stock.

This type of block helps too:

Lloyd Cushenberry with a very nice Rep against Javon Kinlaw...#SeniorBowl VIA:(@MVScouting) pic.twitter.com/PUzGx9Pxcf

— Josh Lemoine (@LSUTruth) January 21, 2020

4 small-school players who stood out most

At the 2015 Senior Bowl, hardly anyone heard of guard Ali Marpet going into the week. By the end of the week, the Hobart College blocker was flying up draft boards and eventually became a second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

1. Antonio Gandy-Golden

Liberty wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden could be another relatively no-name player who turns into a household name after a strong Senior Bowl week.

#Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden (@gandygolden11) with a nice snag during #SeniorBowl practice. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ywB72OmILE

— Jonathan Adams (@JonDAdams) January 23, 2020

“(Gandy-Golden) made several terrific toe-tapping, high-point grabs in the corner of the end zone against multiple corners and used his strong hands and good body positioning to win on slants and in-breaking routes,” Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm wrote in his Day 3 winners post.

2. Adam Trautman

Dayton tight end Adam Trautman has been a favorite of #DraftTwitter for much of the season, and he got to show why during Senior Bowl week.

There's a buzz among scouts I've talked to this morning and last night about Dayton TE Adam Trautman The guy everyone seems to want to see this week

— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) January 21, 2020

Trautman was first introduced to many by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who put the Flyer well inside his recent top 100 at No. 72.

I am a HUGE Adam Trautman fan (Dayton TE). He has a really good feel as a route runner and he’ll more than hold up in the run game. pic.twitter.com/zaTuBXzobf

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 23, 2020

3. Kyle Dugger

Another small-school prospect people have been excited about since the preseason is Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger. He made the acclaimed Freaks List from Bruce Feldman, and you could see why in Mobile.

PICK! Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger makes the interception during one-on-one drills. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/nqbS438EyT

— PewterReport (@PewterReport) January 22, 2020

4. Ben Bartch

Looking for an even deeper sleeper? How about St. John’s offensive tackle Ben Bartch?

St. John's (MN) OL Ben Bartch is an underrated prospect who has done well against an uptick in competition at the #SeniorBowl. Was a tight end just two years ago, but you couldn't tell based off of how strong and refined he looks.

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) January 23, 2020

The former tight end could be a nice Day 3 pickup in the draft.

[newyorktheater]

  In a city with 1,200 cultural institutions, how do you create a new one that stands out?

That was the question – and the charge — that then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg put 14 years ago to Dan Doctoroff, according to an opening ceremony speech by Doctoroff, the chairman of the board of The Shed, the $500 million performing arts center that officially opened on Friday at 545 West 30thStreet, between 10thand 11thAvenues, just north of the end of the High Line, as part of the $20 billion Hudson Yards development.

Here’s how they want you to picture The Shed:

“Evening view of The Shed from 30th Street”

View of the Shed from Hudson Yards

View of the Shed from The Highline

The McCourt

Another view of the McCourt

The Griffin Theater with view of The McCourt. (That wall can close.)

Here’s how I first experienced The Shed (I had to get off the High Line for the street-level entrance, the only way to get into the building.)

MY view of The Shed from 30th Street. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell

The aim of The Shed is to offer original works in the performing arts, the visual arts and in popular culture in an eight-story building of 200,000 square feet (the same number of square feet as the new Whitney Museum.) The Shed has five spaces for show, including two galleries, two theaters, and a “skylit, multipurpose room” on the top floor. One of the theaters is the McCourt, which is topped by a moveable shell that can expand (on huge industrial wheels) to cover the adjoining outdoor plaza, and accommodate an audience of 2,000, if they stand. (1,250 if there are seats.) The first production at the McCourt is “Soundtrack for America,” a five night concert series offering a taste of 400 years of African-American music.

The other theater, on the sixth floor, is the  500-seat Griffin Theater. The Griffin’s inaugural offering, “Norma Jeane Baker of Troy,” starring Ben Whishaw and Renee Fleming, opens tonight. (Watch for my review.)

The Shed, New York: Norma Jeane Baker of Troy, rehearsal with Ben Whishaw and Renee Fleming Rehearsal, LondPhotograph by Stephen Cummiskey

The key buzz words among the team that put The Shed together seem to be: flexibility, inclusion, and multidisciplinary.

“We wanted to prove we could design a flexible building without defaulting to the generic,” said Elizabeth Diller, one of its architects, who called it “an anti-institutional institution” and a facility “perpetually unfinished.”

Whether or not New York’s 1,201stcultural institution stands out in the city will take time to assess, but it already stands out from the rest of Hudson Yards, a gaudy concentration of overall glass buildings which has been widely panned.  “The largest, mixed-use private real estate venture in American history… glorifies a kind of surface spectacle — as if the peak ambitions of city life were consuming luxury goods and enjoying a smooth, seductive, mindless materialism,” the New York Times architect critic Michael Kimmelman wrote in his appraisal“Hudson Yards epitomizes a skin-deep view of architecture as luxury branding.” His description of the Shed doesn’t sound any more complimentary – it features “a giant sliding roof, eye-catchingly swathed in a tufted Teflon-based sheeting that can bring to mind inflated dry cleaning bags.” But he does offer some hope for the arts complex. “If New Yorkers take to the Shed and eat at the mall, Hudson Yards may come to seem less like some gated community in Singapore.”

Alex Poots, formerly of the Manchester International Festival and the Park Avenue Armory, is the artistic director of The Shed. “We want to provide a space for artists working in all disciplines to make and present work for the broadest range of audiences.” In addition to “Soundtrack of America” and “Norma Jeane Baker of Troy,” the first productions include  new work by the artist Trisha Donnelly and “Reich Richter Pärt,” described as “an immersive live performance and exhibition exploring the shared language of visual art and music”

Coming June 22: “Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise,” a  “futuristic kung fu musical” co-conceived by Chen Shi-Zheng and the screenwriters for “Kung Fu Panda.” Here was a brief excerpt presented for the press:

While the people behind The Shed say they are looking to the future of the arts, “Fosse Verdon” is presenting a look at couple that reigned on Broadway in the past, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi considers the power of the arts in the present. (Scroll below.)

Fosse Verdon

Preview with 18 photographs and three videos of “Fosse Verdon,” which airs every Tuesday for eight weeks starting tonight on FX.

Nicole Fosse on her parents and the show

“My parents really changed the framework for Broadway. Pieces like Hamilton or In the Heights or Rent can happen because of my father’s work. Musicals are different because of the way he constructed his musical. I also believe that my mother had an impact on the nature of what can be considered sexy – that strong can be sexy, innocence can be sexy.”

The Week in New York Theater Reviews

Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie

For its first production in its new second home downtown in a spruced-up Greenwich House Theater, Ars Nova is presenting the latest devised piece by the much-praised ten-year-old company The Mad Ones. In “Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie,” the creators of a 1970s children’s television program have hired a company to conduct a focus group made up of parents of young children. In real time, six characters who have never met before gather around a conference table for 90 minutes to answer questions about the series and the characters in it, many of whom are puppets.

The Lehman Trilogy

The Lehman Trilogy, an inventively staged, extraordinarily acted, and historically blinkered theatrical epic, begins and ends with the collapse of the Lehman Brothers, the venerable financial institution, in September, 2008. But these moments serve as tiny bookends to what is really the main story being told at the Park Avenue Armory – the story of the three Lehman brothers, after their arrival in America in the 18th century

The Diary of One Who Disappeared

There’s beauty in the suffering that comes from longing. That message comes through clearly in “Diary of One Who Disappeared.” Everything else is elliptical in the production of this hundred-year-old song cycle that has been expanded and staged by Ivo van Hove.

What The Constitution Means to Me

People are gushing about Heidi Schreck’s play as if it’s another Hamilton, and in some ways it is. No, it’s not a groundbreaking hip-hop musical.  Indeed, “What the Constitution Means to Me” is a play with no music, a three-person cast and an informal air. It wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to sum it up as a civics lesson, Schreck telling stories about her life and her family to illustrate a few amendments of the United States Constitution.

Yet, like Hamilton, it’s a civics lesson that’s stimulated an extraordinary response….On second viewing, on Broadway, I am not as carried away by this show as so many people seem to be, although I think I understand why they are…. It can still serve as a salve for the politically shell-shocked and disaffected; they just have to be a little richer.

King Lear

As King Lear, Glenda Jackson enters with a casual swagger, giving off a scent of power that’s lasted a lifetime.  But Lear is portrayed by an 82-year-old woman, lean and light and, at 5’6, dwarfed by the dignitaries and daughters who share the stage in the opening scene at the Cort Theater.  If Jackson’s performance turns this inventive but imperfect production into a must-see of the Broadway Spring season, it’s not just because of her impressive stamina and control. It’s also the appearance of physical fragility that helps make her Lear stand out.  …DIrector Sam Gold creates some memorable theatrics in his King Lear, some of which illuminate the text for us, little of which undermine it for me.

Ashes

“Ashes” is a play based on the true story of a pyromaniac who terrorized a Norwegian town by torching homes for a month until he was unmasked as the son of the fire chief. Itis a haunting work of theater that has toured 15 countries and was recently presented at HERE. It is peopled with dozens of characters—the arsonist, the fire chief, the fire chief’s wife, many of the townspeople, and a writer who grew up in the town and wrote a book about the incident  What may have been the most remarkable moment in a show full of remarkable moments was the curtain call. Only three people took a bow.

The Week in Theater Awards

Lucille Lortel Award Nominations 2019 Off-Broadway: Carmen Jones, Rags Parkland, Mlima’s Tale Lead

Congratulations to @laurendyee winner of Steinberg/@Theatre_Critics New Play Award + $25,000 for #CambodianRockBand pic.twitter.com/3YZmu2tF2l

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) April 8, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/theater/shakespeare-modern-english-play-on-festival.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nyttheater

Big winners of UK’s @OlivierAwards — @ComeFromAwayUK and @CompanyWestEnd, including @PattiLuPone https://t.co/Clvz6SJgLg pic.twitter.com/61haUasrdx

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) April 8, 2019

The Week in New York Theater News

The Play On! Festival at Classic Stage Company will feature readings of the modern English translations of 39 Shakespeare plays that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival commissioned from established playwrights. May 29-June 30

The Perverse Influence of Titus Andronicus

There are 14 deaths in Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, beheadings, live burials and worse. T.S. Eliot called it “one of the stupidest and most uninspired plays ever written.” But it’s inspired many — including Taylor Mac whose “sequel” to the play, “Gary,” is opening on Broadway. “The image of a mother made to eat her children was hard to shake, and a couple of decades after its 1594 premiere, artists had already begun to appropriate — O.K., fine, cannibalize — its plot for uses comic, tragic and savagely satirical. Its blood has spattered everything from bootleg Dutch tragedies to Japanese anime to Game of Thrones. Directors have staged it with almost no gore and with nothing but gore. It has been modernized, musicalized, performed by puppets and adapted to Kabuki. Stephen K. Bannon sent it into space”

Underground Railroad Game will return to Ars Nova’s midtown theater, May 30–June 15 with an opening night set for June 1. Creators Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard will reprise their performances. “Welcome to Hanover Middle School, where a pair of teachers – Kidwell and Sheppard – are keen to introduce you to today’s lesson. The nimble duo goes round after round on the mat of our nation’s history, tackling race, sex and power…”

Kathleen Chalfant

Rattlestick’s Fall 2019 season will present is a new play by Cusi Cram about the 161-year history of St. Vincent’s Hospital, the local Village that was shut down in 2010. “Novenas for a Lost Hospital” will star the great Kathleen Chalfant.

  Trump’s White House doesn’t support the arts. Nancy Pelosi is rallying the cause instead

The “To Kill A Mockingbird” cast was in Washington at Nancy Pelosi’s invitation to perform scenes for middle and high school students Tuesday at the Library of Congress.

In the absence of a White House that welcomes the nation’s preeminent composers, painters, scholars and singers to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — and let’s face it, many of them would probably say no thanks — Pelosi seems more and more inclined to cast herself as the ceremonial head of state for the arts.

..It was Pelosi, for instance, who occupied the Opera House box when the Kennedy Center Honors were doled out in December, seated next to Cher and the other Honors recipients. President Trump was a no-show for the second year in a row.

Pelosi on Mockingbird and the arts: “In this play, we learn something so important: decency. In our country right now there’s a craving for decency, and this play is about that.”

“I do believe that the arts are the most unifying force in America. It all has the power to make us laugh together, to make us cry together, to forget our differences, to bond together in the spirit of creativity. So in that spirit, there’s something that the arts can teach us, that is very hard to convey in other ways.”

  The Shed Opens. Fosse Verdon begins. Pelosi on Art’s Power. #Stageworthy News of the Week In a city with 1,200 cultural institutions, how do you create a new one that stands out?

[usatrendingsports]

2018 NFL Draft: Replacements for the highest 20 underclassmen leaving school early

As ordinary, the suspense has been taken out of declaration day. Monday marks the deadline for underclassmen to declare for particular eligibility with the NFL forward of the 2018 draft.

You’ll find the complete record of underclassmen who’ve already finished so proper right here. However who replaces the perfect of the perfect?

These are the 20 juniors you simply do not change. Certain, there are alternatives at every of those faculties. However there may be additionally a cause these star gamers are popping out early.

They’ve finished sufficient … with out getting paid.

In alphabetical order, this is the highest 20 underclassmen who’ve declared and who their respective groups hope will change their manufacturing subsequent season.

Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming: Whereas Allen solely went 16-11 as a starter, he led the Cowboys to the 2016 Mountain West title sport. Meaning the sting of New 12 months’s Six relevance. It seems like a battle will begin led by senior Nick Smith (Three.9 GPA in finance), who stuffed in for a few video games when Allen damage his shoulder. Redshirt freshman Tyler Vander Waal will see the sector for the primary time, whereas early enrollee Sean Chambers, a three-star from Kerman, California, might even be within the combine. Not one of the three are getting comparisons, like Allen, to John Elway simply but.

Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame: The very best bets are senior Dexter Williams (9.2 yards per carry) or Tony Jones Jr. That includes both one means changing a robust franchise again who briefly grew to become a prime Heisman challenger.

Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma: The lack of Baker Mayfield’s favourite goal is much less about Andrews than changing Mayfield himself. Kyler Murray will likely be throwing to a deep receiving corps. The subsequent man up at tight finish is sophomore Grant Calcaterra, who caught 10 passes as a promising freshman.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State: There will not be one other one like him for a very long time. That does not imply Penn State is not a prime 10 program going into 2018. Rising junior Miles Sanders is extra of a velocity man. James Franklin in contrast Sanders’ arrival with Barkley in place to Aaron Rodgers coming in and studying below Brett Favre at Inexperienced Bay. Excessive reward.

Can Miles Sanders actually step in for the nice Saquon Barkley? USATSI

Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma: In all probability the important thing to Mayfield profitable the Heisman when you think about his blindside obligations. Proper sort out Bobby Evans will almost definitely transfer to left sort out to switch Brown. Evans was graded second within the Massive 12 and prime 10 nationally amongst tackles, forward of even Brown, in accordance with Professional Soccer Focus.

Sam Darnold, QB, USC: Reclassified freshman J.T. Daniels has a shot together with redshirt freshman Jack Sears. Daniels was already the No. 1 prospect within the 2019 class. Now Daniels — the Gatorade nationwide participant of the yr — has an opportunity to be the man this yr if he follows by way of on his dedication. USC has had a bunch of success with Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei merchandise. Do Matt Barkley and Matt Leinart ring a bell?

Derrius Guice, RB, LSU: Leonard Fournette begat Guice who begat … who? The Subsequent One at LSU must be a difference-making energy runner in Ed Orgeron’s second full season as head coach. Three gamers — none who ran for a complete of 100 yards in 2017 — have a shot: senior Nick Brossette, sophomore Clyde Edwards-Helaire and junior Lanard Fournette. Sure, he is the youthful brother of Leonard. 4-star signee Chris Curry is also within the combine. Clip and save for additional use this fall. The Tigers lose 92 p.c of their 2017 speeding complete.

Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State: The Buckeyes’ fearsome entrance takes an enormous hit as Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes are additionally leaving. However solely at Ohio State can that line be simply as fearsome. Joey Bosa’s brother Nick is the following nice one after posting eight.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa: You do not simply change the nation’s greatest defensive again. Iowa’s All-American had freshman Matt Hankins beginning reverse him. The opposite nook initiatives to be junior Manny Rugamba, who was suspended and misplaced his beginning job final season. Iowa simply appears to pump out difference-making defensive backs (see: Desmond King).

Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: How do you change a Heisman winner? You do not. However Jawon “Puma” Move — that is actually his identify — will attempt. As a freshman, the 6-foot-Four, four-star from Georgia handed for 238 yards in mop-up obligation. Motive to be optimistic: In that restricted taking part in time, Move truly had the next passer ranking than Jackson.

Will one of many sport’s greatest names be one in every of its greatest gamers in 2018? USATSI

Ronald Jones II, RB, USC: Solely 4 gamers had extra speeding touchdowns than Jones’ 19 final season. Solely 4 different Trojans have extra profession speeding yards. That is a giant ask for the following man up at Troy. Freshman Stephen Carr averaged 5.5 yards per carry getting solely 6.5 carries per sport. Additionally watch redshirt junior Vaeve Malepeai and junior Aca’Cedric Ware. Collectively they mixed for barely greater than half of Jones’ 1,550 yards. 

Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M: Some of the productive school gamers lately, Kirk will not get replaced by one participant. No different Aggie apart from Kirk had numbers in all 4 all-purpose classes (speeding, receiving, punt return, kick return). The closest factor to it’s tailback Trayveon Williams, the main rusher and third-leading receiver.

Hercules Mata’afa, DT, Washington State: The most effective inside offensive line disturbers within the nation, the All-American contributed to what was Mike Leach’s best-ever protection. Redshirt junior Nnamdi Oguayo, one other undersized lineman, began six video games posting 4 sacks and 7 TFLs.

Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama: Nick Saban covets that noseguard who can occupy two linemen within the A and B hole. Payne was that man this season turning into each the Sugar Bowl and School Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship defensive MVP.  Saban additionally loses Payne’s backup in senior Joshua Frazier. Changing Payne is a real concern with Saban wanting on the 2018 recruiting class for assist or rising senior Johnny Dwight.

Kamryn Pettway, RB, Auburn: The bigger concern is the best way to change among the finest 1-2 combos within the nation? Gus Malzahn can be shedding 2017 workhorse Kerryon Johnson. The Tigers will not be as deep at tailback Kam Martin was the following man up with 453 yards however solely 16 of his 74 carries got here when the rating was inside a landing both approach.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama: From Julio Jones to Amari Cooper to Ridley, Saban normally options an NFL-quality edge receiver who can stretch the protection. With Ridley gone to the NFL, search for Jerry Jeudy to fill it. Jeudy was a distant second this season in receiving with 14 catches averaging virtually 19 yards.

Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: Who is aware of who Chip Kelly needs with what is out there on the roster? Redshirt sophomore Devon Modster is the quarterback with expertise and had been backing up Rosen. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, an incoming freshman from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, is a chance. That is vital as a result of Gorman runs an offense much like Kelly’s well-known unfold.

Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama: The largest information might not be that that Scarbrough left however that rising senior Damien Harris stayed. Harris ran for precisely 1,000 yards and is inside 1,300 yards of Derrick Henry’s faculty file.

Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia: Whoever replaces Georgia’s Will linebacker will likely be in comparison with one of many program’s all-time greatest. Rising senior Juwan Taylor — in Smith’s recruiting class — will seemingly get a shot however the competitors will likely be unbelievable. Senior Natrez Patrick is predicted again, however is he dependable after getting remedy for substance abuse? Sophomore Monty Rice has essentially the most upside. Whoever it’s, the following man should have velocity — maybe Smith’s greatest trait. Any dialogue of Georgia in 2018 begins with the linebackers with center linebacker Reggie Carter additionally leaving.   

Vita Vea, DT, Washington: CBS Sports activities’ Chris Trapasso believes Vea “could be the strongest prospect in your entire draft.” Greg Gaines, a rising senior, is already a U-Dub defensive position starter however seems like the following nice one. He graded out the fifth-best D-lineman within the Pac-12 and a top-20 nationally run stopper. Gaines missed solely 5 tackles in 520 snaps.

Connor Williams, OT, Texas: The Longhorns acquired a very good take a look at the longer term as Williams, a 2016 All-American, began solely 5 video games in 2017 as a result of damage (solely 28 in his three-year profession). Search for Elijah Rodriguez, an rising expertise, who missed your entire common season with an ankle damage however then performed within the bowl sport. That could be sufficient. As Williams’ alternative at left sort out, Rodriguez will likely be a central determine in Tom Herman creating a difference-making quarterback.

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Another RTARL way too soon NFL first round mock draft 2017

It’s NFL Draft season! Next weekend will be dominated by the NFL Combine, which would be dominated by the troops if they all showed up but will instead be just a bunch of football players hanging out in shorts and t-shirts. I thought it would be fun* to do another mock draft now before the disappointments and surprises that the combine often affords.

I had this whole thing about punching strict Constitutionalists worked out in my head but I lost the urgency of that feeling. This would have been the header image for that post. Forget you ever read this if I get around to doing that post.

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Myles Garrett knows what I’m talking about. He’ll be punching Consitutionalists on the reg in Cleveland. Both on the field and, if he’s truly heroic, off the field. But I swear I’m not writing about that now. Just doing an awesome mock draft about all of the awesome matchups that I come up with based on sources** that are proprietary to RTARL. I’m drafting based on perceived team needs and will take credit for direct hits: if I get the right player to the right team, if I get the correct position, if the player drafted is from the same college as the one in the same position on my draft, if the players share a first or last name, if the team drafting is the one I have listed, if there is a trade.

1  Cleveland Browns

Myles Garrett, DL, Texas A&M

He’s the best player and the Browns need everything. It’s sad that he will spend all of his career battling injuries but such is the lot of a Browns.

2  San Francisco 49ers

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

The 49ers will have zero QBs under contract once Colin Kaepernick opts out of his contract (why is that happening, by the way? He won’t get as much money and he won’t start anywhere else.) Watson doesn’t really strike me as an NFL star but I don’t think that even matters at this point for the 49ers. If he can be soul crushingly boring like Alex Smith that’s good enough.

3  Chicago Bears

Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama

The going theory among people that, no shit, make a living writing about the NFL Draft is that Allen is going to drop closer to the tenth pick. The Bears suck all over and I’m just sticking him here because I forget what they really should do.

4 Jacksonville Jaguars

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

The hottest thing in draft blogging is to overvalue Dalvin Cook. I may be blinded by how much I hate Dalvin Cook but I really think his medical profile is going to be a lot worse than people realize. Well, shit, I guess that’s a possibility for Fournette, too. What the fuck ever, it’s the Jaguars.

5 Tennessee Titans

Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

I think the way Williams plays works pretty well with the way Marcus Mariota plays and he’ll be a 100-catch machine in no time.

6  New York Jets

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

From what I’ve seen Mahomes is the consensus fourth QB in the draft but he’s got the best arm and he’s got, in my eyes, the best chance to be a huge bust. If that isn’t a Jets player I don’t know what is.

7  Los Angeles Chargers

Jamal Adams, DB, LSU

If Adams is as good as his recent press then this is the best pick in the draft. I can’t wait to buy a last minute ticket to watch him in front of 20,000 other slightly invested fans playing on a field built for boxing.

8  Carolina Panthers

Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

I’m 95% certain the Panthers will not pick a receiver here but it seems like a good fit to me and all I keep hearing about is how shitty the OL prospects are for this draft.

9  Cincinnati Bengals

Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State

Huge, insanely athletic, maybe not always motivated but awesome when he is. This is a Bengals if ever there was a Bengals.

10  Buffalo Bills

David Njoku, TE, Miami

I’m gonna level with you: I have no idea what any team actually needs. Playing in Buffalo the Bills should just have a bunch of TEs and run some version of the Run & Shoot that involves 5 TEs on the field at all times. Njoku could totally be the Haywood Jeffires of that arrangement.

11  New Orleans Saints

Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama

Back in the late 80s and early 90s the Saints had the best collection of LBs of any team in the NFL and that seems impossible based on every other era in team history. Foster is getting hype that makes me imagine him fitting in with Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling. Is he that good? Who the fuck knows. Aaron Curry was supposed to be the safest pick in NFL history and he sucked horribly.

12  Cleveland Browns

DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

Kizer is way too good to be held down by the screaming murderer in charge of Notre Dame to hold him down any longer. Hue Jackson will get the most out of him.

13  Arizona Cardinals

Garrett Bolles, OL, Utah

He’s already old which fits in with what the Cardinals are doing as a team.

14 Indianapolis Colts

Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky

This might actually be the Eagles pick. It’s going to be decided by a coin flip. I like putting Forrest Lamp here because he has a good name and I wanted to write it. The Colts are an Andrew Luck injury away from complete disaster so an OL pick seems likely.

15  Philadelphia Eagles 

Dalvin Cook, RB, FSU

Cook and Wentz can be 8-8 together for years to come.

16  Baltimore Ravens

Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State

I’m totally just pulling names out of the air right now. It seems crazy that there would be no CBs picked until 16 but I didn’t have an OL go until 13. That isn’t happening.

17  Washington Redskins

Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

Washington needs to find a QB of the future but there isn’t anybody left to rate this highly.

18  Tennessee Titans

Cam Robinson, OL, Alabama

This makes sense, right?

19  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Remember that year the Jets and Giants both wasted first round picks on shitty tight ends? Howard reminds me of Derek Brown.

20  Denver Broncos

Ryan Ramczyk, OL, Wisconsin

I think Ramczyk is having hip surgery but the Broncos are taking an OL in the first round come hell or high water and this is the name that stood out to me from the list of names I was looking at as I wrote this.

21  Detroit Lions

Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA

I wanted to give the Lions something nice and I think McKinley is a star.

22  Miami Dolphins

Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

The Dolphins seem like the flukiest team in the league and I don’t remember them being very good anywhere but on the defensive line. I might not even be correct about that.

23  New York Giants

John Ross, WR, Washington

Ross could be a great deep threat opposite ODB’s greatness and if they can stay healthy the two of them together could really help the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Is this a good pick or something the Giants would actually do? Probably not. I’m not good at predicting.

24  Oakland Raiders

Soloman Thomas, DL, Stanford

The Raiders need a ton of help on defense and this is theoretically the best draft in a long time to address that side of the ball. Thomas is a top-10 level talent but I think there’s such a glut of front 7 talent that a lot of those guys are going to fall quite a bit.

25  Houston Texans

Budda Baker, S, Washington

I listened to some podcast about the draft that had the Texans taking a QB here and I laughed at the idea of an NFL team being willing to admit so quickly how badly they planned last season. Those same guys described every pick as an interesting situation and made Budda Baker seem like the second coming of Ed Reed. So I’m stealing part of their jive.

26  Seattle Seahawks

Antonio Garcia, OL, Troy

Everybody on the planet expects the Seahawks to draft an OL and then not know how to develop him. I’m picking names out of a hat when it comes to OL guys here, if you weren’t aware.

27  Kansas City Chiefs

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

I haven’t seen anybody put McCaffrey here but it seems like an awesome fit to me. Andy Reid could put him to good use all over the field.

28  Dallas Cowboys

Haason Redick, EDGE (!!!), Temple

Last year the Cowboys got all of my pre-draft favorites so I’m gonna make that continue and give them one of my favorite players in this draft. Redick is a preposterous athlete who came to college as a cornerback and then grew into a defensive lineman. He’ll probably be more of a linebacker in the pros but he should be a total nightmare in the best of ways wherever he lines up.

29  Green Bay Packers

Teez Tabor, CB, Florida

I listen to / read way too much online scouting. Tabor isn’t falling this far.

30  Pittsburgh Steelers

Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State

The Steelers also grab a lot of the guys I really like. Year after year they do that, actually, and they mostly don’t end up as good as I expected. Willis is like the platonic ideal of a pass rushing end so expect him to turn into a linebacker somehow in Pittsburgh and get a bunch of sacks in 2021 on his way to a crazy contract in Jacksonville before he gets cut a year later.

31  Atlanta Falcons

Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan

Good lord there are too many good pass rushers in this draft. I don’t see any consensus yet on which ones stack up where but I do know that I don’t really like Charlton as anything more than a space killer in the NFL. He’s big enough and strong enough to not be a sinkhole but I don’t trust him to rack up stats, either. Atlanta needs some guys like this.

32  New England Patriots

Corn Elder, CB, Miami

I have every bit of confidence that Corn is going to come out of the combine with a lot more fans in draft world than he has now. It’s not like he’s a low-rated player but he’s going to test a lot faster than people realize. Did I just make it through the first round without about 20 players that I think should be first rounders? Yes I did.

* stabbing yourself in the eye with a protractor is similarly fun if you’re looking for things to do today

** other mock drafts

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