You’re dead wrong if you thought for a second the NFL couldn’t possibly have an encore for the fury of Day 1 of the draft. With a flurry of wide receivers, tight ends, and the running backs getting into the mix, the action was still hot and heavy. Green Bay and Kansas City finally addressed their ailing wide receiver rooms. Some landing spots gave us shivers and others a nauseous feeling. Let’s see who gets to eat a W and who is left choking on an L.
Chrisitan Watson didn’t sneak into the first round, but he was still a top 40 selection (34th overall). The Packers traded up to snag their future number one wide receiver. Watson is discussed as a “raw prospect,” but the numbers he accumulated at North Dakota State were impressive on various levels. Stacking him up against all FBS and FCS wide receivers with 50 or more targets in each season, he ranked top 28 in yards per route run in each season, with the cherry on being his final season, where he led the nation in this metric (per PFF). He also finished 12th, seventh, and 17th over the last three years in yards after the catch per reception (per PFF). That last nugget is extremely important for an Aaron Rodgers target as he loves to pepper the field with short-area targets, so a wide receiver’s ability to create with the ball in his hands is paramount. While many have tired of the Watson hype train, I haven’t. It’s full steam ahead to glory.
The Jets continue their roster makeover by selecting Breece Hall at the top of the second round. Hall’s draft capital alone will give him the upside to own this backfield. As a Michael Carter truther, this saddens me, but more on that later. The Jets have gone out of their way to add blockers upfront that fit their scheme that now has a back that is a hand-in-glove fit. Hall only ranked inside the top 30 at his position (minimum 100 rushing attempts) in yards after contact per attempt once, but his breakaway ability improved every season. He finished his collegiate career ranking 22nd and fifth in breakaway run rate over his final two seasons (per PFF). His hallmark is the ability to press the line and explode upfield through a crease. Hall is a locked-in top 20 running back this season.
Skyy Moore is one of my FAVORITE prospects this year.
“16th in yards after the catch in 2021 (512, per PFF) and tied for first in missed tackles forced (26) among wide receivers. Moore is going to be a YAC factory in the NFL.”https://t.co/w4jz2GsKAypic.twitter.com/Cowzs4jzyG
Praise be to the fantasy football gods. Skyy Moore lands in the holy grail of fantasy production. Many will automatically point to JuJu Smith-Schuster as a deterrent or Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but these are only potholes on the road to greatness. For Smith-Schuster, you have to go back to 2018 to find a season where he finished above 1.70 yards per route run, and for those keeping score at home, that’s pitiful. Valdes-Scantling is the new cardio king picking up the mantle from Demarcus Robinson. Valdes-Scantling will likely soak up routes run each week, but earning targets and securing them are skills that are foreign to him. Moore is a run after the catch monster who is just now beginning to scratch the surface of his talent. He had never played wide receiver until his freshman year at Western Michigan. That didn’t stop him from finishing with a 91st percentile college dominator and leading the country in missed tackles forced at the wide receiver position last year. The Skyy is the limit.
John Metchie is a player that I pegged to fall into round three of the NFL Draft, but he surprised me with a nice landing spot as the 44th player off the board. Metchie’s production profile out of Alabama is lackluster. He was below the 35th percentile in breakout age, college dominator, and collegiate yards per reception. His 2.22 collegiate yards per route run screams meh (per PFF). What Metchie lacks in his analytical profile, he makes up for in early opportunity. He should have no issues competing with Nico Collins for targets behind Brandin Cooks early on.
Kyler Murray now has a plethora of receiving weapons at his disposal in Arizona. The Cardinals began the draft by acquiring Marquise Brown and followed that up with drafting Trey McBride. McBride will contribute in the passing game and as a blocker keeping Murray clean in the pocket. In 2021 the Cardinals’ pass success rate climbed from 47% (11 personnel) to 50% and 57% when they utilized four wide and two tight end sets. The additions of these two players will allow Kliff Kingsbury to feature these looks more and put Murray in a better spot to succeed.
Diontae Johnson is an unrestricted free agent next season. The team has displayed some frustration with Chase Claypool‘s growing pains, so they now select a player in George Pickens who could lead their passing attack should they move on from Johnson. Pickens’ production track record might not be sparkling, but he is a skilled underneath weapon who can separate easily and create easy completions and big plays at the drop of a hat.
The Colts have dabbled previously with bid body receivers (Michael Pittman) and speed threats (Parris Campbell), but they have now stepped into new territory with a player in Alec Pierce who combines both. Pierce stands at 6’3″ but runs a 4.41 40-yard dash and possesses a 94th percentile burst score. With a 17.0 collegiate yards per reception mark (79th percentile) and an 82nd percentile breakout age, the boxes are checked for Pierce to become more than the field stretcher that he currently is. This passing attack is wide open with only Pittman above him in the pecking order for targets. Pierce could breakout as soon as this season with a savvy vet like Matt Ryan feeding him accurate targets.
The Bills have telegraphed the addition of a running back with pass game skills all offseason. They tried to woo J.D. McKissic away from Washington. Then Duke Johnson was brought in on a free-agent deal. James Cook receiving second-round draft capital is a huge tell that they view him as more than just a limited pass-game option. While Cook might begin in a third-down-only capacity, we saw down the stretch last year they had no issues using Devin Singletary in a do it all role. Cook could earn that opportunity.
The top three rounds of the NFL Draft have concluded, and Gabriel Davis remains the perimeter running mate of Stefon Diggs. After finishing as a top 30 wide receiver in four of his final six regular-season games and his playoff fireworks, the offseason hype has been building. The boo birds have been quick to attempt to quell the hype storm around Davis. At this point in the draft, there isn’t a player the Bills will bring in that will pose a massive threat to his role. Turn the hype radio back up to 11.
After Kenny Pickett‘s selection in the first round, the quarterback position was given the cold shoulder by NFL talent evaluators. The second round came and went, and zero quarterbacks were selected. Then Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, and Matt Corral finally found new homes in the third round. It’s not impossible for these last three to pan out in the NFL, but the deck is significantly stacked against them to earn early or any starting opportunity. They went from first-round Superflex rookie draft picks to dart throws at best.
The Breece Hall selection is nightmare fuel for Michael Carter stans like myself. Carter, at best, will be regulated to the leaner part of a committee at best. The dream for him to take the lion’s share of this backfield after showing out in a limited sample last year has died. It has perished in the flames of fourth-round NFL Draft capital.
While the Bears roster improved overall with the additions of Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker, Justin Fields was hung out to dry. His top targets remain Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet and the offensive line wasn’t upgraded. Mooney proved to be a formidable talent last year, but he can’t lift this offense up by himself. Fields will have to generate a copious amount of offense and fantasy points with his legs if this year will be deemed a success.
The Colts have featured the tight end position in recent seasons in the passing game and the red zone, but the problem is that it’s been with a committee approach. Last season Frank Reich divided up snaps and routes between Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox, and Kylen Granson. Alie-Cox and Granson will team with Jelani Woods this season to run it back with a probable three-way committee. Woods’ numbers will be capped not because of talent but due to a limited playing time path.
The hits keep coming for Antonio Gibson. First, J.D. McKissic returned to the fold as a free agent. Now, Brian Robinson arrives via third-round draft capital. The team has persistently limited Gibson’s pass game role, but now his early-down and goal-line roles could be in jeopardy. The fall from grace is complete, and the final hope flames of “Christian McCaffrey-like” usage have been extinguished.
I’ve been a Jeremy Ruckert champion during the pre-NFL Draft process. Ruckert has underrated athleticism and receiving chops. Outside of the draft capital, this is a wretched landing spot. The Jets signed C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin this offseason to deals that neither will hit free agency until 2025. Ruckert has the talent to come out of this pile of tight ends on top, but the two could remain thorns in his side as, at best, the third option in a Zach Wilson-led offense.
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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
