Category: TPA

CAN WE PLEASE JUST GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD?

That’s the usual feeling for football dorks alike. Everybody, from people working in football to people sitting their butts at home, kind of wants this thing to just finally happen and be done with already. The media cycle at this time of year can certainly get very repetitive at the mainstream level, and after the seventh or eighth time of “Jaxson Dart to the Steelers at 21??” you sort of wish ESPN would spend more time broadcasting re-runs of baseball games than having First Take repeat itself every morning.

As annoyed as some headlines and talking points get, this is still a major week where NFL teams will finally answer questions about their rosters with their draft weekend decisions. What do these owners and GMs think of their own teams, what do they think about the field of rookies coming into the league, and what do they think about the future of the way this sport gets played at the highest level?

A handful of players and topics that’ve been on my mind throughout this cycle:

1. The Jalen Milroe sweepstakes. Alabama’s QB didn’t get many (if any) QB1 marks from the media this cycle, let alone grades as a QB2 this class. But of the QBs this year, Milroe’s speed and burst from the spot can be an immediate difference maker, and should be considered for special packages for just about any offense the first day of camp wherever he goes.

2. If the game’s on the line, just put Travis Hunter on the field. Receiver? Corner? What’s Travis Hunter, a legitimate generational talent, going to do when he gets to the league? Who wants him, and at which spot on the field? I think drafting Hunter is a monumentous opportunity and responsibility. The Heisman winner won’t be playing 140+ snaps a game like he did for Deion Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado, but all of those reps may as damn well have helped get him ready to be one of the most skilled players on either side of the field at all times. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were drafted as a corner and primarily stayed on defense for his first season (while maybe getting some snaps on offense, just to see), but I personally want to see as much two-way action out of Hunter as possible. Or at the very least, if the game’s on the line or his team is in a crucial spot opposite his everyday position, I hope Hunter’s number gets called to make a clutch paly at his secondary spot. His kind of talent almost never comes through the NFL, and the excitement before his rookie season has been going on for a very long time now.

3. Savion Williams is an offensive treat.

From last summer’s Freaks List post over at The Athletic, where he was listed at #47:

The 6-4 wideout who was No. 56 on last year’s list is now 10 pounds bigger, up to 225. Williams led TCU with 573 receiving yards on 41 catches with four TDs in 2023 and hit 10-6 on the broad jump and posted a 40-inch vertical. This year, he squatted 600 pounds, bench-pressed 355, power cleaned 350 and clocked 22.5 mph. The former high school quarterback has a strong arm and can throw the ball 80 yards.

At 220+ pounds, TCU’s Williams is one of the heavier wide receiver draft prospects, but he’s also one of the lankiest with an 80 7/8″ wingspan (32 1/2″ arms) with a height just a fraction under 6’4. In college, he took snaps out of Wildcat formations, took handoffs like a running back, was an outside receiving threat, a slot/tight end receiver, and according to Dane Brugler’s The Beast annual preview, Williams had the strongest arm on the team. For my money, this dude was the easiest skilled player to fall in love with.

4. I’m convinced my Lions will get a quarterback. Detroit doesn’t need a Jared Goff replacement, but his replacement might need replacing. There hasn’t been enough vocal confidence from the Lions to make me think that they love Hendon Hooker as Goff’s immediate backup right now, and getting Kyle Allen was a canary in the coalmine for fans.

If I have to give you a late-round name that I’ve got my eye on, it’s Minnesota’s Max Brosmer. He was a true freshman starter with New Hampshire in 2019, then started all of 2022 and 2023 where he racked up 6,600+ passing yards with 56 TD thrown (to 13 INT), and over 100 rushing yards in each season (7 total scores). In one season with Minnesota, he had his career-best completion rate (66.5%) with 2,828 passing yards with 18 TD to 6 INT. According to Brugler’s draft preview, Brosmer had 15 TD to 0 INT in the red zone with Minnesota.