Thankfully draft season is almost over. Can't wait for "Cam Ward throws tight spiral to (unguarded) 4th round WR during rookie minicamp. Are the Titans sleepers for a deep playoff run?" season!
I look forward to a shaky sideline phone vid of one play of a 1st round pick going up against a future HR manager as evidence that "player X is going to be a PROBLEM".
And yes, technically, since Shilo is the OLDER brother, he probably would not have been the one sent to the monastery. He would have been quietly poisoned.
Younger sons of lords like Prime didn't get sent to the monastery. They either became bishops and then cardinals and wielded immense power and wealth but just couldn't pass it on to sons. All sons were bastards.
Guys who didn't inherit as younger sons or bastards by concubines were dangerous, hungry to conquer other people's inheritance. Bastards we're particularly dreaded as conquests involve burning, looting, and murder. That goddamn bastard came through here.
The sanders men arent Byzantine emperors, they're maybe warriors. And besides...The Byzantines cut the nose off or blinded the failed emperors BEFORE packing them to monasteries. So they couldn't retake the throne. One guy without a nose came back and got revenge so they switched to blinding.
Watching Shedeur as a rookie QB in Cleveland or NYG without time to sit and learn...without blocking, enough targets is going to make in person stadium fans wish they were blinded. Being sent to monastery away from worldly things like hearing Coach prime blasting your team's entire organization starts sounding nice, lol.
I am very grateful that the Maryland Terrapins (mens) basketball team has been good this Jan-Feb-March, and then newsworthy in March & April, so the sports part of my brain didn't have to obsess over the Ravens playoff performance + the appalling MVP voting result + What Do They Need To Do In Free Agenxy & The Draft To Get Over The Hump.
Your piece today crystallizes that gratitude.
BTW I love this and will probably quote it a lot:
>> General fans find the [draft] hoopla tedious and ridiculous. But most fans also want to know
>> who the home team drafted and where the ten famous guys went.
>> On this rickety scaffolding of interest an entire industry has been erected: dedicated
>> draft sites, mock draft simulators, television broadcast schedules, the production
Thank you for all the work you do with this deep research so we don't have to. that said, i did do a little research on Nash for my own panthers mock draft. He seems like adam thielen 2.0. And I mean current Adam, not in-his-prime adam.
one of my favorite types of draft Guy is “Son of Former Player” Guy because 25% of the time they’re actually good too but the other 75% of the time i get the little treat of remembering a Guy (their dad) so it’s a win win in my book
This draft has, in addition to Shedeur and some other good ones like Mason Taylor, the sons of Orande Gadsen and Howard Cross. Both are fine late Day 3 picks.
Every one of them reminds me of my own mortality because i think things like “hold on! His dad was *just* in the league” and then i look them up and realize im remembering a dolphins game from the early 2000s and Oronde Gadsden has been out of the league for 2 decades
One thing the very best websites have enjoyed over the years is a quality comments section. This requires a rare alignment of the stars where you have compelling original content, a smart audience and a willingness to drop your usual cynicism about all things digital. You know you're at such a place when you look forward to the comments as much as the original content.
This comment makes me confident we're getting there here at Too Deep.
It's not about the absolute differences, it's about being worse in every measurable way than a marginal player. If I say I have a QB prospect heavier than Jared Lorenzen, does it really matter how much heavier?
Agree. But if let's say an undersized guy who constantly makes plays runs a 40 0.02 slower but kills the shuttle and cone drills, does it really matter? Or is it overanalysis?
I love the draft because you get to see how each team's management handles pressure. Which prospect will became a surprise 1st round pick based on a team's leftover needs from free agency? Which rock-solid prospect, who was mocked in the top 15 for the entire draft season, will slide to the Ravens in the 20s? Who will actually take Howe's calls during the draft? How many of these terrible quarterbacks will go in the top 40? Which smart GM will accumulate picks for next year's draft considering most people think this is a weak draft?
I'm with you in ignoring almost all of it (Tanier I read because I simply enjoy his writing so much; I don't care what the subject is, I get at least one honest-to-goodness out-loud laugh out of every post) just like I ignore, for instance, Grey's Anatomy. While I agree with you objectively, it should be noted that the NFL is a form of entertainment; it's a TV show that millions of people watch every week. The NDIC is simply a spin-off of that larger show. It's still entertainment for millions of people.
Yeah, similarly to how I don't understand how people are "entertained" watching America's Got Talent I don't understand how obsessing over the draft is "entertaining".
I DO understand why Mike writes about it; it would practically be malfeasance for an NFL writer to NOT cover it. I also appreciate his big picture take on it where he acknowledges that 85% of this stuff is dipshittery (I just made that word up and refuse to admit it might not be an actual word...language is ever evolving you know). And like you I think Mike could make writing about anything entertaining.
I am thrilled the Eagles went to and won the Super Bowl this year, allowing me to celebrate my favorite team through February and not have to think about the Draft in January. Some say it is the Super Bowl's true prize.
All the mocks I read on NFL.com are no bother, to me. All the mocks draft and players analysis, it’s all opinion (some more informed than others) and entertaining. Everyone has to eat, so all the mockers and analysts keep it up… and thank you all, for whatever reasons you all do it. 👍🏻👍🏻
This piece of writing is a much needed tall drink of water in the desert of draft evaluations. For that we all give thanks. More than anything I wish the draft had happened a month ago. But between the NFL wanting to milk TV ratings and money and now having the draft staged outdoors, the draft can't be moved earlier and if anything the draft will be moved later, into May.
sigh
Yesterday I listened to Oliver Connolly's substack podcast on what he would do to change the draft. It was great listening to the various ideas that he had and it made me wonder what you would do to make the draft actually compelling. Reading or listening to what you would come up with would be a treat.
The simplest thing would move it to early April, except:
- It would conflict with Easter and Passover too often,
- It would conflict with the basketball tourneys, which would impact ratings and
- Cold weather cities like Green Bay would find hosting it risky.
Other than that, the NFL has done a good job fine tuning the draft as a product. I can remember the 15-minute first-round picks on Saturday afternoon. That was torture to cover and not compelling to watch as a fan.
Several Packer sites show up on my YouTube feed. One featured Draft 10.0, his final draft before the draft. To be clear, all the automated drafting apps out there make these drafts quick and easy. This gentlemen made four trades on the Packers behalf; not a likely occurrence this weekend. I noticed the software provided a "Force Trade" button for the draftnik GM hoping to move to #2 and grabbing Travis Hunter. This gentleman mentioned that Draft 10.0 was his final draft picking as he'd like the Packers to select players; tonight, he's doing his draft as he thinks Packers GM Brian Gutekunst will select players, which seems like the point all along.
I enjoy the draft information. The Top 96 is just about right; I don't need to know about the Saturday guys, I'll find out more later once they're practicing for the Packers. It fills the dead months. The Mock Draft phenomenon also generates a ton of income. Think of the numbers of people making some level of money hashing and rehashing the upcoming draft. It's great so many people earning some money doing what they love as opposed to spinning tiny screws into IPhones for grocery money.
Thursday will be rainy and cool in Green Bay. Friday afternoon and Saturday should be dry; 50 degrees on Friday, 58 on Saturday. I'll probably attend for awhile all three days. I have a friend a few blocks from Lambeau so I can park in his drive and walk over easily. Looking forward to chatting with fans from other teams who may have traveled up for the event. Ain't no party like a Packer party!
The live draft stuff can be fun when the weather is good. It's basically just an open-air football party. Even Philly hosted one without burning to the ground.
Well, not the draft itself. I have the NFL draft industrial complex (NDIC). Every year for six weeks everyone from true established analysts to dipshit talking heads to click-bait/SEO peddlers to cellar-dwelling wannabe GMs provide orders of magnitude more "coverage" than anyone could possibly need.
Nothing is more worthless than a mock draft.
It has almost no value to anyone when created and is immediately worthless when the actual draft starts. (Okay, if you're actually involved in making NFL draft decisions, mock drafts have some value. Otherwise? It's little more than publishing a detailed, possibly researched list of next year's Oscar winners).
Love your writing Mike but I haven't read the last few posts because IDGAF. WHen the draft happens I'll read up on those who were ACTUALLY drafted by their ACTUAL new team. I have zero need to speculate on who might go where.
It's truly astounding to me what the NDIC has become. It's also astounding to me that the NFL peddles a guy walking on stage and making a 5 second announcement every 15 minutes as a LIVE EVENT worthy of people spending time, money and energy on it like it's an actual sporting event and knuckleheads have bought it!
Simply reminds me, yet again, that I just don't love the NFL the way others do.
Let me know when the draft is over; I'm sure someone will let me know who was drafted by which team.
I have no desire to persuade you to care about the draft, but as an exercise in psychological analysis, I think part of what makes it popular is that every team wins (well, except the Jets). Unlike Fall Sundays, where one fanbase basks in victory and the other has nothing but recriminations, or free agency where one team gets the prize player, and the others lose out, on draft day everyone gets something, even if it's not 100% what they were hoping for. It's the NFL equivalent of Christmas. Add to that the hope, the possibility, that one of these players could be the next franchise lynchpin or even diamond in the rough, and there is a lot of hope floating around to make everyone happy (again, except the Jets).
Draft coverage is a little like preparing babka for Passover or Easter. It takes a lot of time to prep, and we often put it on the shelves in March when no one really cares. But it's our job to produce lots and lots of babka for the week when EVERYONE wants it, so it doesn't make sense to bake too many other things in early spring.
I know you have to cover it Mike. And your coverage, as with all things NFL, is clear-eyed about the fact that most coverage is either uninformed, made up or boilerplate. One thing I like about your writing is you're not afraid to show how the sausage is made. Debating whether to watch film on a possible 5th rd flyer or go for a walk is a good example. Have no problem with your coverage; only wish others were as willing to admit they don't shit about stuff they're forced to pretend they're experts on.
Hehe...you got me! I'm secretly producing dozens of mock drafts that I breathlessly post to YouTube, X, Y AND Z....with "latest mock will REVOLUTIONIZE drafting!" SEO tags.
Thankfully draft season is almost over. Can't wait for "Cam Ward throws tight spiral to (unguarded) 4th round WR during rookie minicamp. Are the Titans sleepers for a deep playoff run?" season!
Those all important pre-preseason QBR ratings!
I look forward to a shaky sideline phone vid of one play of a 1st round pick going up against a future HR manager as evidence that "player X is going to be a PROBLEM".
You are all speaking my love language.
'Tariff War Machine'? Shilo Sanders 'would have been sent to a monastery if this were Medieval Europe'?
Stuff like this is why my most efficient entertainment dollars are spent here.
Thanks!
And yes, technically, since Shilo is the OLDER brother, he probably would not have been the one sent to the monastery. He would have been quietly poisoned.
Playing too much Crusader Kings?
No such thing as too much Crusader Kings!
Younger sons of lords like Prime didn't get sent to the monastery. They either became bishops and then cardinals and wielded immense power and wealth but just couldn't pass it on to sons. All sons were bastards.
Guys who didn't inherit as younger sons or bastards by concubines were dangerous, hungry to conquer other people's inheritance. Bastards we're particularly dreaded as conquests involve burning, looting, and murder. That goddamn bastard came through here.
I figured he meant sent to a monastery like falled Byzantine emperors sometimes were, folks like Michael I or Romanos I.
The sanders men arent Byzantine emperors, they're maybe warriors. And besides...The Byzantines cut the nose off or blinded the failed emperors BEFORE packing them to monasteries. So they couldn't retake the throne. One guy without a nose came back and got revenge so they switched to blinding.
Watching Shedeur as a rookie QB in Cleveland or NYG without time to sit and learn...without blocking, enough targets is going to make in person stadium fans wish they were blinded. Being sent to monastery away from worldly things like hearing Coach prime blasting your team's entire organization starts sounding nice, lol.
Poisoned? Yes. Quietly? Unpossible!
I am very grateful that the Maryland Terrapins (mens) basketball team has been good this Jan-Feb-March, and then newsworthy in March & April, so the sports part of my brain didn't have to obsess over the Ravens playoff performance + the appalling MVP voting result + What Do They Need To Do In Free Agenxy & The Draft To Get Over The Hump.
Your piece today crystallizes that gratitude.
BTW I love this and will probably quote it a lot:
>> General fans find the [draft] hoopla tedious and ridiculous. But most fans also want to know
>> who the home team drafted and where the ten famous guys went.
>> On this rickety scaffolding of interest an entire industry has been erected: dedicated
>> draft sites, mock draft simulators, television broadcast schedules, the production
>> timelines and lifestyles of NFL writers.
Thank you for all the work you do with this deep research so we don't have to. that said, i did do a little research on Nash for my own panthers mock draft. He seems like adam thielen 2.0. And I mean current Adam, not in-his-prime adam.
one of my favorite types of draft Guy is “Son of Former Player” Guy because 25% of the time they’re actually good too but the other 75% of the time i get the little treat of remembering a Guy (their dad) so it’s a win win in my book
This draft has, in addition to Shedeur and some other good ones like Mason Taylor, the sons of Orande Gadsen and Howard Cross. Both are fine late Day 3 picks.
Every one of them reminds me of my own mortality because i think things like “hold on! His dad was *just* in the league” and then i look them up and realize im remembering a dolphins game from the early 2000s and Oronde Gadsden has been out of the league for 2 decades
I don't care much about the draft beyond the first few picks, but I did enjoy reading your coverage anyway. Too Deep is always entertaining
Thanks!
So long as someone inexplicably mocks an off-ball LB to the Eagles in the first round for the 37th consecutive year, I'm happy.
Go check out Matt Lombardo's mock!
It's like watching the swallows return to Capistrano!
One thing the very best websites have enjoyed over the years is a quality comments section. This requires a rare alignment of the stars where you have compelling original content, a smart audience and a willingness to drop your usual cynicism about all things digital. You know you're at such a place when you look forward to the comments as much as the original content.
This comment makes me confident we're getting there here at Too Deep.
Ha, Johnson vs. Dell nuances...4.51 vs. 4.49 is such a huge edge 🤣. Oh, the world of minutia that we live in.
It's not about the absolute differences, it's about being worse in every measurable way than a marginal player. If I say I have a QB prospect heavier than Jared Lorenzen, does it really matter how much heavier?
Agree. But if let's say an undersized guy who constantly makes plays runs a 40 0.02 slower but kills the shuttle and cone drills, does it really matter? Or is it overanalysis?
It's 10 pounds AND .002 seconds! And, as I say in the piece, the great example of a tiny guy who can handle it suffers annual near-death experiences.
Tanier, I needed that. Some of this Draft microanalysis is just so much fun.
I love the draft because you get to see how each team's management handles pressure. Which prospect will became a surprise 1st round pick based on a team's leftover needs from free agency? Which rock-solid prospect, who was mocked in the top 15 for the entire draft season, will slide to the Ravens in the 20s? Who will actually take Howe's calls during the draft? How many of these terrible quarterbacks will go in the top 40? Which smart GM will accumulate picks for next year's draft considering most people think this is a weak draft?
This I can understand. Yes...looking at the results from the ACTUAL draft makes complete and total sense.
It's the fact that 100X more content is created SPECULATING about what might happen that I don't get.
Then again, 95% of what passes for "sports broadcasting" these days is basically speculation, so obviously I'm the one who's out of step.
I'm with you in ignoring almost all of it (Tanier I read because I simply enjoy his writing so much; I don't care what the subject is, I get at least one honest-to-goodness out-loud laugh out of every post) just like I ignore, for instance, Grey's Anatomy. While I agree with you objectively, it should be noted that the NFL is a form of entertainment; it's a TV show that millions of people watch every week. The NDIC is simply a spin-off of that larger show. It's still entertainment for millions of people.
Yeah, similarly to how I don't understand how people are "entertained" watching America's Got Talent I don't understand how obsessing over the draft is "entertaining".
I DO understand why Mike writes about it; it would practically be malfeasance for an NFL writer to NOT cover it. I also appreciate his big picture take on it where he acknowledges that 85% of this stuff is dipshittery (I just made that word up and refuse to admit it might not be an actual word...language is ever evolving you know). And like you I think Mike could make writing about anything entertaining.
I am thrilled the Eagles went to and won the Super Bowl this year, allowing me to celebrate my favorite team through February and not have to think about the Draft in January. Some say it is the Super Bowl's true prize.
All the mocks I read on NFL.com are no bother, to me. All the mocks draft and players analysis, it’s all opinion (some more informed than others) and entertaining. Everyone has to eat, so all the mockers and analysts keep it up… and thank you all, for whatever reasons you all do it. 👍🏻👍🏻
"May the time spent writing them be taken off my sentence in purgatory."
How do you know you're not there already? "Tariff War Machine" alone should get you time served for good behavior.
Purgatory would not have readily-available high-quality cheesesteaks.
This piece of writing is a much needed tall drink of water in the desert of draft evaluations. For that we all give thanks. More than anything I wish the draft had happened a month ago. But between the NFL wanting to milk TV ratings and money and now having the draft staged outdoors, the draft can't be moved earlier and if anything the draft will be moved later, into May.
sigh
Yesterday I listened to Oliver Connolly's substack podcast on what he would do to change the draft. It was great listening to the various ideas that he had and it made me wonder what you would do to make the draft actually compelling. Reading or listening to what you would come up with would be a treat.
The simplest thing would move it to early April, except:
- It would conflict with Easter and Passover too often,
- It would conflict with the basketball tourneys, which would impact ratings and
- Cold weather cities like Green Bay would find hosting it risky.
Other than that, the NFL has done a good job fine tuning the draft as a product. I can remember the 15-minute first-round picks on Saturday afternoon. That was torture to cover and not compelling to watch as a fan.
Several Packer sites show up on my YouTube feed. One featured Draft 10.0, his final draft before the draft. To be clear, all the automated drafting apps out there make these drafts quick and easy. This gentlemen made four trades on the Packers behalf; not a likely occurrence this weekend. I noticed the software provided a "Force Trade" button for the draftnik GM hoping to move to #2 and grabbing Travis Hunter. This gentleman mentioned that Draft 10.0 was his final draft picking as he'd like the Packers to select players; tonight, he's doing his draft as he thinks Packers GM Brian Gutekunst will select players, which seems like the point all along.
I enjoy the draft information. The Top 96 is just about right; I don't need to know about the Saturday guys, I'll find out more later once they're practicing for the Packers. It fills the dead months. The Mock Draft phenomenon also generates a ton of income. Think of the numbers of people making some level of money hashing and rehashing the upcoming draft. It's great so many people earning some money doing what they love as opposed to spinning tiny screws into IPhones for grocery money.
Thursday will be rainy and cool in Green Bay. Friday afternoon and Saturday should be dry; 50 degrees on Friday, 58 on Saturday. I'll probably attend for awhile all three days. I have a friend a few blocks from Lambeau so I can park in his drive and walk over easily. Looking forward to chatting with fans from other teams who may have traveled up for the event. Ain't no party like a Packer party!
The live draft stuff can be fun when the weather is good. It's basically just an open-air football party. Even Philly hosted one without burning to the ground.
An open-air football party without, you know, any actual football.
"It's like going to a concert but there's no music. "
Nothing like paying money to spend hours in a cold drizzle so you can hear a guy make a 5-second announcement every 5 minutes.
Look, whatever floats your boat, go do you. I'm just saying the draft's appeal to so many is something I don't get it. I DO NOT GET IT. AT ALL.
Some mysteries in life (what DID exist before the big bang) are compelling to me. Others (why do people obsess over the NFL draft) are not.
[Draft entrance is free. My boat likely will float. ]
I hate the NFL draft.
Well, not the draft itself. I have the NFL draft industrial complex (NDIC). Every year for six weeks everyone from true established analysts to dipshit talking heads to click-bait/SEO peddlers to cellar-dwelling wannabe GMs provide orders of magnitude more "coverage" than anyone could possibly need.
Nothing is more worthless than a mock draft.
It has almost no value to anyone when created and is immediately worthless when the actual draft starts. (Okay, if you're actually involved in making NFL draft decisions, mock drafts have some value. Otherwise? It's little more than publishing a detailed, possibly researched list of next year's Oscar winners).
Love your writing Mike but I haven't read the last few posts because IDGAF. WHen the draft happens I'll read up on those who were ACTUALLY drafted by their ACTUAL new team. I have zero need to speculate on who might go where.
It's truly astounding to me what the NDIC has become. It's also astounding to me that the NFL peddles a guy walking on stage and making a 5 second announcement every 15 minutes as a LIVE EVENT worthy of people spending time, money and energy on it like it's an actual sporting event and knuckleheads have bought it!
Simply reminds me, yet again, that I just don't love the NFL the way others do.
Let me know when the draft is over; I'm sure someone will let me know who was drafted by which team.
I have no desire to persuade you to care about the draft, but as an exercise in psychological analysis, I think part of what makes it popular is that every team wins (well, except the Jets). Unlike Fall Sundays, where one fanbase basks in victory and the other has nothing but recriminations, or free agency where one team gets the prize player, and the others lose out, on draft day everyone gets something, even if it's not 100% what they were hoping for. It's the NFL equivalent of Christmas. Add to that the hope, the possibility, that one of these players could be the next franchise lynchpin or even diamond in the rough, and there is a lot of hope floating around to make everyone happy (again, except the Jets).
But you can get all that without the gross overexposure so I'm not sure what you're telling me.
You were asking why people watch on draft day.
Draft coverage is a little like preparing babka for Passover or Easter. It takes a lot of time to prep, and we often put it on the shelves in March when no one really cares. But it's our job to produce lots and lots of babka for the week when EVERYONE wants it, so it doesn't make sense to bake too many other things in early spring.
I know you have to cover it Mike. And your coverage, as with all things NFL, is clear-eyed about the fact that most coverage is either uninformed, made up or boilerplate. One thing I like about your writing is you're not afraid to show how the sausage is made. Debating whether to watch film on a possible 5th rd flyer or go for a walk is a good example. Have no problem with your coverage; only wish others were as willing to admit they don't shit about stuff they're forced to pretend they're experts on.
God, I love a chocolate babka.
Often, when someone “hates” something so much that it just kills them to think that anyone could possibly like it, they’re hiding something.
C’mon Mike…you secretly do your own mock, don’t you?
Hehe...you got me! I'm secretly producing dozens of mock drafts that I breathlessly post to YouTube, X, Y AND Z....with "latest mock will REVOLUTIONIZE drafting!" SEO tags.
I misread this as the latest mock with REVOLUTIONIZE dating, and I liked it better that way.
Much better clickbait.
I, OTOH am extremely interested in just guy guys because they end up in Canada. So as A CFLer, those observations matter a lot.