BY: Tony LiebertEveryone loves to talk about the top prospects like Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa and Dwayne Haskins. It gets old after a while so I will tell about some more interesting prospects. Players who just missed the cut:
5. Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor Jalen Hurd is one of the most interesting prospects in this entire Draft. He was originally a running back at the University of Tennessee where he was quite successful. Hurd ran for 2,635 yards and 20 touchdowns along with 492 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 3 seasons in Knoxville. In his Junior season was getting the bulk of the carriers ahead of some guy named Alvin Kamara. After Hurd’s Junior season where he was battling a nagging ankle injury, he decided that he couldn’t handle to brutal pounding you receive at the running back position. So he went into the coaching office and asked them if he could to switch to receiver. This switch made sense because Hurd is 6’4” 235 pounds which is way too big for a running back. In comparison Derrick Henry who is viewed as the biggest running back in the NFL is “only” 6’3” 238 pounds. But Tennessee’s coaching staff didn’t want Hurd to make the position change, and gave him the option to transfer… He did just that, and decided to transfer to Baylor University. Jalen Hurd was required to sit out for a full season due to NCAA transfer rules, which is just ridiculous, but that’s a different story. Overall I think the year off helped Hurd’s transition to WR be a little smoother. During his one season at Baylor Hurd showed he can be productive at the D1 level finishing with only 69 catches... for 946 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hurd’s combination of insane work ethic and maturity beyond his years makes him a prospect that I would do everything I could to have him on my NFL team. Picture above: (left to right) Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara, Josh Dobbs 4. Andy Isabella, WR, UMass If Jalen Hurd is my favorite wide receiver Andy Isabella is a close second. Isabella may not be the same physical specimen as some receivers in the draft, he is only 5’9” 188 pounds. What he lacks in size he makes up in production. Last year at Massachusetts Isabella finished with 102 receptions (2nd in the country), 1,698 yards (1st in the country) and lastly 13 touchdowns. At UMass he put together some of the best film out of any wide receiver in this class. He showed that he is an incredibly fluid route runner, with the ability to run almost any route in the book, while also showing unbelievably consistent hands. Even though he played against a lower level of competition at UMass Isabella showed he can be a very productive wide receiver at the next level. Even though Isabella lacks physical size, he still is unbelievably athletic. At the combine he ran 4.31 which ranked him second among wide receivers. Some may project him as a slot receiver, but I could see him more as a Brandin Cooks like receiver on the outside. He has shown great ball tracking skills that would definitely translate to the next level. In this year’s draft there are plenty of receivers that are incredibly raw with great athleticism. But I think Isabella may be the most polished, and could become the biggest steal of this years draft. 3. Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma Marquise Brown is the only “sure-fire” first round pick that I have on this list… but it’s for good reason. “Hollywood” Brown was playing Junior College football at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita only three years ago. He struggled to get FBS schools to even come watch him, if you think he’s small now, during his time at JUCO Brown was 5’9” 140 pounds… yes 140. During his time at College of the Canyons his own coaches begged for FBS schools to come take a look at Brown, eventually they did and during a workout in front of the D1 coaches he ran a 4.33 and then EVERYONE wanted him. Marquise Brown eventually decided to attend Oklahoma university. During his time at Oklahoma Brown “bulked-up” to a respectable 166. At Oklahoma all Brown did was produce. During his first season in Norman, Brown had 57 catches for 1095 yards and 7 touchdowns. He showed the entire country that he has the potential to get to the end zone every time he touches the ball. During Brown’s next season, with all of the hype… he did not disappoint. He finished with 75 catches 1318 yards and 10 touchdowns. During last season’s Big 12 Championship game, Brown suffered a Lisfranc injury (fractured foot), and was not able to play the rest of the game. This is relevant because when Brown’s team needed him most, in the College Football Playoff semi-final he decided to suit up and play, when he was risking his future health. This shows me that Brown is fully committed to football and will put the team in front of anything else. Every NFL team seems to seek the “game-breaking” receiver, like Tyreek Hill, T.Y. Hilton or Antonio Brown (Marquise’s Cousin). I think that Marquise will be in this conversation of receivers when it is all said and done. 2. Will Grier, QB, West Virginia Will Grier is one of the most disrespected players in this entire draft. During his two seasons at West Virginia Grier was arguably the most productive QB in the country. People like to bash the Big 12 saying their numbers are inflated due to the lack of defense, but the same people are saying Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes are the two best young quarterbacks in the league (who both attended Big 12 colleges). Grier originally attended Florida University where as a Freshman he appeared in 6 games and threw for 1202 yards and 10 touchdowns. Grier was later dismissed from the University, due to testing positive for a banned substance. Grier’s time is Gainesville was short, but you could tell he was special. Grier later decided to transfer to West Virginia, where he started playing at after one year of sitting out. In Morgantown Grier put together back-to-back monster seasons in Dana Holgersons’ offense. In his Junior season Grier threw for 3490 yards, and 34 touchdowns in only 11, games after missing the last 3 due to a wrist injury. Going into his Senior year Grier had tremendous expectations. Including preseason All-American honors. Grier lived up to those expectations, he threw for 3864 yards and 37 touchdowns to go along with a 67% completion percentage. After losing the first game of the season to rival Virginia Tech, Grier lead the Mountaineers to 7 straight wins and an 8-4 record on the season. He capped of the season with a 4th place finish in the Heisman. People like to state that Grier “lacks” arm strength, but I don’t understand how anyone in their right mind thinks that. In every year Grier proved he was one of if not THE best deep ball thrower in the country. Grier has the "it-factor" and the leadership to lead an NFL franchise. Will Grier is more than able of being a starting QB in the NFL and is easily the most under-appreciated player in this draft class. 1. Tyree Jackson, QB, Buffalo Tyree Jackson may be my favorite prospect in this entire Draft. He stands at a whopping 6’7” 249 pounds. At the NFL scouting combine Jackson showed that his monstrous size will not effect his athleticism. At the combine Jackson ran a 4.59 forty yard dash which would rank him second out of quarterbacks and at a position that his size would more project him at, tight end… Jackson would’ve have been third. In the Vertical jump test, Jackson tested at 34.5” inches. Which put him first among quarterbacks. He also was first among QBs in broad jump with 10 feet. So he definitely has shown that he is the most athletic QB in this class. The main reason why scouts are low on Tyree Jackson is his inconsistent and erratic accuracy on almost all of his throws. The main reason that I am all is on Jackson is, that he recently and came out and said prior to his preparation for the NFL draft, "he has never had a private throwing/quarterback coach." Which is unbelievably rare. From what I know nearly every single division 1 quarterback had a throwing coach sometimes starting as early as 5th grade. And Jackson taught himself from watching Tom Brady YouTube videos... During Jackson’s draft process he has been one of the prospects featured on and ESPN series, called draft academy. I obviously am not a scout therefore I don’t get the same resources that an NFL scout would, but on the series Jackson has looked incredibly eager to soak up all the information he can from trainer Jordan Palmer. He also seems like a very well put together man, and very mature beyond his years. Which would make him a prospect that I would love to develop. Jackson’s on field production at Buffalo showed that he does have the potential to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Last season in his 3rd full season as a starter Jackson passed for 3,133 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 7 more touchdowns. While putting up great numbers Jackson led Buffalo to a 10-4 record and birth in Dollar General Bowl where they suffered a tough loss against Troy. There has not yet been a successful 6’7” quarterback in the NFL, and it really wouldn’t be very practical to have a QB so large. Although Jackson may not be a starting QB right away I know if he is put into the right situation he can develop much faster than any scout would have predicted... excecpt for me.
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BY: Tony LiebertThis year NCCA Tournament started out slow, but it sure has heated up as of late. The Final Four terrific storylines, Michigan State is the team who is always in big games, Virginia is coming off of being the first one seed to get upset in the first round by a 16 seed. And Texas Tech and Auburn are two of the hottest teams in the country. April 6th, 2019 5:09 pm. CT #1 VIRGINIA (33-3) vs. #5 AUBURN (30-9) VIRGINIA CAVALIERS Virginia’s Previous tournament games: - (Round of 64) vs. #16 Gardner Webb: 71-56 - (Round of 32) vs. #9 Oklahoma: 63-51 - (Sweet 16) vs. #12 Oregon 53-49 - (Elite 8) vs. #3 Purdue 80-75 F/OT Virginia comes into the Final Four as the only one seed left in the tournament. Virginia has only lost three basketball games this season, two of them were against Duke, and the third was a tough loss against Florida State in the ACC tournament. The Cavaliers are led by three main players. Their “big-3” is junior guard Kyle Guy (15.2 PPG, 42.7 3P%), sophomore forward Deandre Hunter 14.9 PPG, 5 RPG), and junior point guard Ty Jerome (13.3 PPG, 5.4 APG). Virginia has always been known as one of the best defensive teams in the country, for as long as Tony Bennett has been their head coach. This year is no different, Virginia has held their teams to an average of 55.4 points per-game which is number one in the country. This year Virginia’s offense is much more complete than it ever has been. They still play at their normal “slow paced” level offense, but they have three offensive studs. Kyle Guy was recently named a 3rd team AP-All American. Guy may be the best 3-point shooter in the entire country, he has shot 42.7 percent from the arc this season which was 19th in the country. He had more 3 point attempts than any of the 19 players ahead of him so I’d consider him the most efficient 3 point shooter in the country. Ty Jerome is one of the most complete point guards in the entire country. This year Jerome is 6th in the country in turnover to assist ratio 3.24. Jerome is also very active on the defensive end averaging 1.5 steals a game. All of this has led to Jerome having a very good chance of being drafted in the first round next season. Jerome and Guy may be the best backcourt left in the tournament. DeAndre Hunter is the most talented player on Virginia. Hunter was recently named the NABC (national association of basketball coaches) defensive player of the year. Hunter is one of the most well rounded players in the country which will lead him to being a top 5 pick in next year’s draft. Pictured above: (left to right) Kyle Guy, DeAndre Hunter, Ty Jerome AUBURN TIGERS Auburn’s previous tournament games: (Round of 64) vs. #12 New Mexico State 78-77 (Round of 32) vs. #4 Kansas 89-75 (Sweet 16) vs. #1 North Carolina 97-80 (Elite 8) vs. #2 Kentucky 77-71 Auburn came into this year’s tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country which they turned into a final four run. Auburn was the 5th seed in their own conference tournament. They headed into the postseason 4 game win streak and a big win against 4th ranked Tennessee. In the SEC tournament Auburn started out by taking down Missouri, then South Carolina, then Florida, and lastly Tennessee in the championship. Auburn is known as one of the best offenses in the entire country. They’re the best 3 point shooting team in the country averaging 11.4 makes per game. Auburn played most of the season with talented trio, senior guard Bryce Brown (16 PPG, 1.1 SPG), junior point guard Jared Harper (15.4 PPG, 5.8 APG), and sophomore big man Chuma Okeke (12 PPG, 6.8 RPG). Unfortunately Chuma Okeke suffered a torn ACL against North Carolina, and will be out for the rest of the season. The backcourt duo of Jared Harper and Bryce Brown are one the most underrated in the entire country, which played a large part in Auburn making a run into the Final Four. Both Harper and Brown are incredibly quick and terrific at creating their own shot. Pictured above: (left to right): Bryce Brown, Jared Harper Prediction: Virginia and Auburn’s talented guards will both be able to put up points and play their own game against each other. The X-Factor on Virginia’s side will be DeAndre Hunter. If Hunter is on his game and making shots, I don’t see a way that Virginia loses this game. If Auburn wants to pull the upset in this game they will need to find offensive production after Harper and Brown. I expect Virginia’s defense will slow down Auburn’s prolific offense, Auburn’s insane 3-point shooting streak will finally end. and Virginia will advance to the championship game. SCORE: Virginia: 72 Auburn: 60 April 6th, 2019 7:49 pm. CT. #2 MICHIGAN STATE (32-6) vs. #3 TEXAS TECH (30-6) MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS Michigan State’s previous tournament games: - (Round of 64) vs. #15 Bradley 76-65 - (Round of 32) vs. #10 Minnesota 70-50 - (Sweet 16) vs. #3 LSU 80-63 - (Elite 8) vs. #1 Duke 68-67 This will be Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo’s 8th final four appearance during his time in East Lansing. As Michigan State always is, this season they’re a well rounded team led by mostly veteran players. They came into the tournament as winner of the Big 10 regular season and tournament titles. The Spartans have depth at almost every position and if anything their weakness would just be consistency. Junior guard Cassius Winston (18.9 PPG, 7.6 APG) has been the heart and soul of their team all year. They also have great front court depth led by junior Nick Ward (13.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG), sophomore Xavier Tillman (10.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG), and senior Kenny Goins (8.1 PPG, 9 RPG). Point guard Cassius Winston is one the best point guards and players in the entire country. Winston was the Big 10 player of the year, first team all-american, and Wooden Award (player of the year) finalist. Cassius has been tough to stop for opposing point guards all season. The strength of Michigan State’s team is their front court. They have terrific depth led by Nick Ward who has been battling a hand injury in the second half of the season, to go along with great rebounders Xavier Tillman and Kenny Goins. The Spartans are tied for fifth in blocked shots per game, and ninth in rebounds per game. Their front court has been one of the best in the country all season. Pictured above: Cassius Winston TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS Texas Tech’s previous tournament games: - (Round of 64) vs. #14 Northern Kentucky 72-57 - (Round of 32) vs. #6 Buffalo 78-58 - (Sweet 16) vs. #2 Michigan 63-44 - (Elite 8) vs. #1 Gonzaga 75-69 If Virginia is the best defensive team in the country Texas Tech is a close second. They have allowed 59 points per game this season, which is third in the country. They have had one of the best seasons in program history winning the Big 12 regular season title. Texas Tech is a guard led team, starting with sophomore Jarrett Culver (18.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.7 APG), sophomore Davide Moretti (11.6 PPG, 46.3 3P%), and senior Matt Mooney (11 PPG, 3.4 APG). Texas Tech is 7th in the country in scoring margin, winning by an average of 13.9 points per game. The Red Raiders have had a very dominant path coming into the Final Four, only being challenged by Gonzaga in the Elite 8. Winning by 15+ every game before that. If Texas Tech can play at their pace they’re one of the toughest teams to beat in the entire country. The success of Texas Tech has came when their role players after Jarrett Culver have performed well. Davide Moretti is one of the best shooters in the country, Matt Mooney is classic hard-nosed college point guard, lastly Texas Tech’s paint is patrolled by Tariq Owens who has averaged 2.4 blocks per game which is 12th in the country. When this trio plays well Texas Tech has almost been unbeatable this season. Jarrett Culver has been one of the most improved players in the country this season. He was awarded Big 12 player of the year, and second team all-american. He increased his scoring from 11.2 per game last season to 18.9 this season. He has been one of the best shot creators in the country. Culver has played himself into being a probable top 10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Pictured above: Texas Tech celebrating after defeating Gonzaga in the West Regional final. Prediction: The matchup to watch in this game will be Michigan State’s Matt McQuaid vs. Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver. I don’t think McQuaid will be able to slow down Culver which will be tough to come back from for the Spartans. On the other side I think Matt Mooney and Davide Moretti will be able to slow down Cassius Winston enough, for Culver to take over on the other side. Texas Tech’s dominant run will not be slowing down and they will carry it into a National Championship appearance. Score: Texas Tech: 67 Michigan State: 62 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Monday, April 8th, 2019 8:00 pm. CT #1 VIRGINIA vs. #3 TEXAS TECH Prediction: In this game I think Virginia’s high scoring knockdown shooting back court will be very tough to stop for Texas Tech, and too much for their sup-par back court to defend. Jarrett Culver will most likely be guarded by the countries best perimeter defender DeAndre Hunter, and it will take a lot for Culver to be successful. I think Texas Tech will struggle to find offense and Virginia will be cutting down the nets in Minneapolis. Score: Virginia 67 Texas Tech: 60 Pictured above: Virginia head coach Tony Bennett
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May 2020
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