The first round developments we want to see in 2021 NFL Draft
And the movies that we saw when we were waaaaaaay too young.
When the mock drafts started trending toward the Jets drafting Zach Wilson with the second overall pick, I felt a little relief. While I’m a big Justin Fields fan and think he deserves to be the second quarterback taken, I also want him to land in the best situation for him. I don’t think the Jets would be that, despite them hiring a competent coach and picking up some solid free agents this offseason. I think the 49ers would be a terrific spot for him, though they may have already decided on selecting Mac Jones (or not, who knows).
I never wanted to see Fields’ stock drop (for reasons I still can’t comprehend), but if it was going to happen, I was intrigued by the possibility of the Panthers drafting him at No. 8. The Panthers are still in a bit of a rebuilding phase, but I think Fields would thrive in a Matt Rhule/Joe Brady offense. Then they traded for Sam Darnold, and it seems unlikely Carolina will now target a quarterback in the first round.
So that safety net is now gone, and I’ve talked myself into something that, just over a year ago, I would’ve considered unthinkable: I’m into the idea of the Patriots drafting Fields, whether they have to trade up for him or not. In New England, he’d wind up with a historically great coach, a smart offensive coordinator, and an accomplished veteran quarterback to learn from — even better when you consider that PFF compared Fields to a smaller Cam Newton in its draft guide.
It’s not my first choice for him, but I like it as a backup plan if the 49ers and Falcons pass on Fields.
Enough about the quarterbacks for now, though. Let’s turn our attention to a few other potential first-round picks. Specifically, here are six developments we’d love to see on the opening night of the draft. — SH
Wisconsin-Whitewater has a player drafted before Wisconsin-Madison
The Badgers hold a monopoly over Division I football in the state of Wisconsin. Typically if you want to see NFL prospects play on Saturdays your options are:
Jumping around at Camp Randall Stadium or
Hoping another Demetrius Harris comes through the UW-Milwaukee basketball program before switching to football
While the state’s Division III programs offer a robust alternative, they haven’t offered much in the way of upper-tier draft picks … until now. D3 powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater has produced a handful of NFL players over the past two decades, and now interior lineman Quinn Meinerz will be the program’s first draftee since Derek Stanley in 2007.
Stanley went to the Rams with the seventh-to-last pick of the draft. Meinerz won’t have to wait nearly as long. The Athletic pegs him as a second-round pick. PFF sees him as a Day 2 selection. ESPN lists him as the 53rd-best prospect in this year’s draft. There’s a good chance he’s the highest-drafted Division III player in the past three decades.
How’d he get here? By transforming himself from a sloppy fat guy into an NFL-caliber athlete by, uh, punching down a bunch of trees in the Canadian wilderness:
Legend.
While Meinerz likely won’t be a first-round pick, it’s a solid bet he’s the first person to have played his college ball in the Badger State to hear his name called by Roger Goodell this spring. Wisconsin has a handful of draftable prospects like defensive back Rashad Wildgoose and tackle Cole Van Lanen, but it’s likely Meinerz is off the board three or even four rounds before they’re selected.
As usual, the state of Wisconsin is going to produce a rock-solid NFL offensive line prospect. In a major upset, it’s a Warhawk, not a Badger. — CD
The Falcons draft Kyle Pitts and fully embody their own offensive chaos
With the exception of roughly 45 minutes in February 2017, I have never lived in the world where the Atlanta Falcons were good. I am intimately familiar, however, with a world in which the Falcons are extremely watchable.
Sometimes that’s because of star players. Sometimes it’s schadenfreude related to the low-key witch’s curse that’s infected every tendril of Atlanta’s big three (big four, if you count the odd years the city has an NHL team for some reason) sports franchises. And for the last decade-plus, it’s been because the Falcons have been the home of one of the league’s most exciting passing offenses.
Atlanta could use an heir to Matt Ryan’s throne, but the former MVP will only be 36 years old this season and is coming off a year in which he threw more completions (and passes) than anyone in the league. With the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, the Falcons could opt for a second-tier quarterback prospect … or select their top choice at any other position. At the top of their non-Justin Fields wish list should be Pitts, the 6’6 monster who runs a 4.4 40 and had 12 receiving touchdowns in eight games last fall at Florida.
Tight end — and sure, pass-catcher in general — isn’t really a position of need for Atlanta. Julio Jones struggled with injury last year and still averaged nearly six catches and 86 yards per game. Calvin Ridley sure looked like a WR1 type in his absence thanks to a 1,374-yard campaign. Hayden Hurst was a perfectly reasonable starting tight end.
But Pitts would be a rising tide that makes everyone in that offense better. He can’t be covered by a linebacker, which means the safety help that typically would shadow Jones or Ridley would be reduced. Hurst would shift down the depth chart slightly to play more of an in-line blocking tight end compared to Pitts, whose versatility allows him to be shifted to the slot or even outside in stretches. Imagine the two-tight end offense that Bill Belichick worked to great effect in New England with Rob Gronkowski and [REDACTED] and is trying to work again with Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. Now imagine it with two All-Pro caliber wideouts in the mix instead of whatever unwanted free agent veteran the Patriots could scrape up.
From a practical standpoint, the Falcons are probably best suited by trading back from No. 4, amassing low-cost young assets, and rebuilding the defense that’s been a perpetual Achilles heel. From an excitement standpoint they should draft Pitts and see if Ryan can’t put up a 6,000-yard season. Turn Atlanta into mid-2000s Texas Tech, says I. — CD
Jaycee Horn getting drafted by the Giants or Saints
Jaycee Horn should be one of the first cornerbacks off the board. Just the other week, the South Carolina product wowed scouts with his blazing 40 time, but he’s more than just speed. He only allowed eight catches in seven games last season.
He also has NFL pedigree as the son of former receiver Joe Horn, most famous for his cell phone touchdown celebration 18 (dear god) years ago against the Giants:
Admittedly, it’s not super likely the Giants or Saints will draft him. The Giants have bigger needs than cornerback, and Horn probably won’t still be available when the Saints are set to pick at No. 28. But it’d still be fun if Joe Horn’s son could end up on one of the two teams that were part of that epic celebration — and perhaps Jaycee could recreate it, like Michael Thomas did a few years back, when the Saints and Giants play in 2021. — SH
Asante Samuel Jr. getting drafted by Tom Brady’s team
Did my reminder that Joe Horn’s cell phone celebration happened 18 years ago make you feel old? How about that Asante Samuel, who was drafted 18 years ago, has a son who is headed to the NFL?
Yep, Father Time comes for us all. Except for Tom Brady of course. And he’s the reason why it’d be so fitting if the Bucs drafted Samuel Jr.
In 2003, Samuel Sr. joined Brady on the Patriots, who used a fourth-round pick on the cornerback. Samuel Sr. went on to play five seasons in New England, where he won two Super Bowls and was named an All-Pro. Now his son also has a chance to get drafted by the same team as Brady, just like his father did.
The Buccaneers don’t have many glaring holes, especially since they’re bringing back almost every major player from their Super Bowl-winning squad. They have the luxury of taking the best player available (or trading down, if they prefer) at No. 32, and Samuel Jr., who can play inside or outside, is a good option:
Besides, drafting a defensive back with NFL in his blood worked out well for the Bucs last year. — SH
Rashod Bateman somehow falls to the Packers
Or they trade up to get him. Either/or.
Bateman’s draft stock has been rising despite an uneven 2020 that saw him out opt of Minnesota’s abbreviated campaign, then back in for a disappointing final season in Minneapolis. His raw tools remain undeniable — he’s 6’2 and 210 pounds with sticky hands, strong lateral quickness, and 4.4s 40 speed — and it sounds as though NFL execs are beginning to realize last fall was a massive outlier of a season in so, so many regards.
Still, most mock drafts don’t print Bateman’s name until late in the process. There’s one team that desperately needs the services of a top wideout who can win one-on-one matchups, pull safety help away from its star receiver, and play at an elite level even in frigid temperatures: the Green Bay Packers.
Bateman would be a perfect fit in green and gold; a burner with deep threat bonafides (he averaged 20.3 yards per catch in 2019) like Marquez Valdes-Scantling with the hands and route tree to work inside and draw pressure away from Davante Adams. His yards-after-catch capabilities would help Aaron Rodgers continue to look like a rock star — and possibly even convince the reigning MVP to sign the contract extension that frees up cap space for 2022 while keeping him in Green Bay for the remainder of his career.
The former Gopher’s rising hype could push him out of the Packers’ draft range at No. 29, but we’ve seen general manager Brian Gutekunst move up on Day 1 before. Last year it was to draft quarterback Jordan Love in a move that seemed to signal the unavoidable end of the Rodgers era. Moving up to draft Bateman would be a signal that Rodgers isn’t going anywhere — and that his best may still be yet to come. — CD
Rondale Moore sneaking into the first round
Whenever a player embarrasses one of my favorite teams, my attitude toward them can go one of two ways: begrudging respect or my new mortal enemy. Rondale Moore, who lit up Ohio State for 194 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns as a freshman, falls into the former category for me, and I wish nothing but good things for him in the NFL. While his performance against the Buckeyes in 2018 was the best of his college career, Moore was electric from the second he stepped foot on the cursed land of West Lafayette.
In his freshman year, Moore led all of FBS in catches (114) and yards after catch (906 of his 1,258). And he did this at Purdue! Injuries and a Covid-shortened season limited him to just seven games the next two years, but his talent and athleticism —something he put on display recently at his pro day— are worthy enough of first-round consideration.
Unfortunately, his 5’7 stature and injury history will scare teams off, at least on Day 1. He’ll most likely have to wait until the second night to hear his name called. But it just takes one team near the end of the first round to fall in love with his dynamic skill set —and to know how to use him the right way. If not, the Jaguars have two picks in the second round and Urban Meyer probably would rather Moore be on his team than risk having to face him again at any point in the NFL. — SH
The time I watched Misery when I was 9 years old
Last week, I stumbled upon an airing of the movie Misery, and two thoughts entered my mind in quick succession:
“I don’t think I’ve seen Misery since I was probably, like, 9 years old.”
“Wait, why was I watching Misery when I was 9?”
I did a little mental math and concluded that was about the age when my mom started letting my older brother babysit me. So that summer, pre-internet and living out in the country with one of those giant 90s satellite dishes, the two of us watched a lot of movies. I had never heard of the phrase “latchkey kid” until I was older (and the latchkey generation was the one before me), but that’s basically what we were. Let’s just say every time I watch this Bill Haverchuck scene from Freaks and Geeks, I feel it deep in my soul:
There’s a sadness to that scene, but I don’t consider our time home alone, while my parents were at work, as a bad experience. I learned certain household responsibilities and how to entertain myself (a skill which has come in handy this past year in particular). Nothing I watched during that period traumatized me, and that includes Misery. To be honest, I think Misery would traumatize me more today, especially since I’ve pretty much been stuck in one place for 13 months.
Even if I came out of watching Misery unscathed, I think we’ve all seen at least one movie at too young of an age. For me, it was a year earlier, when I was 8 and my dad decided to put on Lord of the Flies while I was in the room with him. I proceeded to watch the entire movie, and all these years later, I’m still not over Piggy’s death. — SH
My Too-Young-To-See Movie Experience
I saw Clockwork Orange when I was about that same age. It was not a good experience. I didn’t really understand it—and honestly don’t know that I would have a much better grasp of the META thing if I saw it today—but I saw what I saw.
I also saw Revenge of the Nerds around then. It was also wildly inappropriate for a kid that age, but damn if I didn’t love it.
As a parent, I’m now able to make these mistakes for my own child. And that started with Blues Brothers with my son when he was about nine. I had no idea it was rated R, but the language quickly reminded me why the MPAA gave it that designation. Oh well. My son and I enjoyed watching it, and to this day we can bond over low-brow comedies. But I still haven’t let him see Revenge of the Nerds. —RVB