Gilmore's Still Got More

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   Stephon Gilmore's career looked like it was coming to an end back in 2021. After winning the Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018 and then winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, he finished 2020 with a quadriceps injury and opened the 2021 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. By October of that year, the 31 year old defensive back was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a sixth round draft pick (which was later used to draft Kayshon Boutte).    Cornerback careers are notorious for coming to sudden ends at a certain age, especially after lower body injuries. The speed that is essential to their position doesn't always fully return, and without the ability to keep up with younger receivers, their drop off is usually pretty steep. Most players in Gilmore's position would quietly fade out of the league within a year or two of that injury and subsequent trade.   Instead, Gilmore beat the odds. He recovered from his quad injury and in t...

2024 Heisman Predictions

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The 2024 Heisman winner will be announced in just a few hours. Here are my last thoughts on each of the four finalists as college players before we start talking about them strictly as NFL prospects going forward:

Travis Hunter (WR/CB) Colorado

He has to win. What he has done this year is unprecedented in modern football and the fact that he’s actually been doing it at a high level for 2 years now and only managed to get injured on a late hit, freak accident liver problem is pretty amazing in retrospect. If he were JUST a receiver, he’d probably finish 3rd or 4th. If he were JUST a defensive back, we’d be talking about him for several other awards, but not the Heisman. But the fact that he has done both at such a high level is outstanding and he is entirely deserving of the Heisman for it.

Ashton Jeanty (RB) Boise State

Strictly speaking, Jeanty was the best offensive player of the year. He averaged almost 200 yards rushing per game and was averaging over 2 touchdowns per game at the end of the regular season. It was a historic season, and he will very likely break the record for single season rushing yards next weekend in the first round of the CFP. If Travis Hunter didn’t exist, Jeanty would be my favorite to win but was just unlucky enough to break out in the same season and should be the runner-up.

Dillon Gabriel (QB) Oregon

I’m not surprised Dillon Gabriel went on to have a great end to his college career, I’m just surprised that it took this long to end. 6 seasons is a long time, even if one landed him a medical redshirt. I’m almost sick of watching him at this point, but I’m partially biased because I wanted him to stay at UCF. Gabriel’s stats aren’t amazing but he was consistently good against the best competition in the country and led his team to an undefeated season as the #1 ranked team in the NCAA and got his teammates a first round bye. Every other player on this list had an easier time putting up the stats they did and for that, I think Dillon Gabriel deserves at least 3rd place in the Heisman for what he has accomplished this year.

Cam Ward (QB) Miami

For all the hype around Cam Ward, I cannot ignore the fact the he played against some mediocre defenses this year. Statistically, I will concede he was the best passer of the season. But given the strength of schedule he was working with, I’d expect much better numbers. It doesn’t impress me that he threw for 5 touchdowns against Ball State, who finished the year at 3-9. I’m not blown away by the fact that his most accurate game as a passer (a 20 for 26 performance with 3 TDs and 304 yards) came against Florida A&M, a fake school where the two most popular majors are Swamp Ecology and Alligator Medicine. I understand why he is a finalist, but I think if there is any justice in the Heisman voting process, he will finish 4th out of 4.

Ultimately, I predict that Gabriel will finish 4th and Ward will finish 3rd because the voters are too stupid to recognize an advanced concept like strength of opposing defenses. But that’s life.

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Gilmore's Still Got More

-
Image
   Stephon Gilmore's career looked like it was coming to an end back in 2021. After winning the Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018 and then winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, he finished 2020 with a quadriceps injury and opened the 2021 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. By October of that year, the 31 year old defensive back was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a sixth round draft pick (which was later used to draft Kayshon Boutte).    Cornerback careers are notorious for coming to sudden ends at a certain age, especially after lower body injuries. The speed that is essential to their position doesn't always fully return, and without the ability to keep up with younger receivers, their drop off is usually pretty steep. Most players in Gilmore's position would quietly fade out of the league within a year or two of that injury and subsequent trade.   Instead, Gilmore beat the odds. He recovered from his quad injury and in t...
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2025 NFL Combine Recap - Quarterbacks

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  The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine officially came to and end on March 2nd. Among the 15 quarterbacks in attendance, 13 prospects participated in the throwing drills, and 3 of them also participated in the usual circuit of general athleticism drills. Here is a recap of everything we saw from the quarterback prospects at the 2025 NFL Combine: As expected, Cam Ward did not participate in any drills at the Combine. For his measurements there were no major surprises, though his official height of 6 foot 1 and 5/8 inches and his hand size of 9 inches were both a bit smaller than expected. Otherwise, it was a quiet weekend for the man projected to be the first quarterback drafted this year. Shedeur Sanders did not participate in any drills either, but he made headlines with some of his interview answers. He responded to reports asking why NFL teams should draft him with confident answers that referenced his winning record at Colorado, his desire to change a team's culture, and having the sa...
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The Rookie Jar: Travis Hunter

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Travis Hunter is one of the most highly anticipated NFL prospects in modern history. His ability to play both offense and defense at an extremely high level has not been seen in decades. He has consistently been one of the best receivers and one of the best defensive backs in whatever conference he played in, and his ability to play both sides of the ball for years while avoiding any major injuries has intrigued NFL teams. He is guaranteed to be drafted at some point in the first four picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Prospect Full Name: Travis Hunter Jr. Position: Cornerback and Receiver Age: 21 (will turn 22 by rookie season) Height: 6'0" Weight: 188 pounds Hometown: Suwanee, Georiga Highest Accolade: 2024 Heisman Trophy Winner The Background Travis Hunter was born on May 18 2003, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is the oldest of four siblings, with a younger sister and two younger brothers. His childhood years were spent in Florida before he moved to Suwanee, Georgia as a tee...
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