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Week Three XFL recap, Players of the Week and Power Rankings

2/28/2020

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 By Adam Bressler
Picture
St. Louis Battlehawks kick returner Joe Powell (44) scored the first kick return touchdown in XFL history during Sunday’s win over the New York Guardians. Photo by Getty Images
The XFL is beginning to hit stride, with a quarter of the first season in the books (10 regular season weeks, plus two weeks of postseason match-ups). By all measures, the teams are playing more cohesively and the league is giving us a preview of what to expect when the novelty wears off. Here are my quick thoughts on the happenings around the league from Week 3: 

  • Surprisingly, there is much more parity in the XFL than I expected prior to Week 3. The undefeated Houston Roughnecks faced the winless Tampa Bay Vipers in a game that many XFL fans and pundits (myself included) expected to be a comfortable blowout. However, the Vipers kept it close, with the Roughnecks edging them out 34-27 in a shootout. Additionally, prior to Sunday afternoon’s game between the DC Defenders and Los Angeles Wildcats, I thought that the then-undefeated Defenders would have no trouble beating the then-winless Wildcats. However, to much surprise, the Wildcats steamrolled the Defenders, finishing with a final score of 39-9 and giving Cardale Jones his first loss since high school. The quality of play is beginning to level out, which is great news for XFL fans and executives alike. 

  • We finally got to see a kickoff return for a touchdown under the XFL’s modified formation, but it required a bit of trickery to occur. The historic moment happened during Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and New York Guardians. The ball was kicked by New York Guardians placekicker Matthew McCrane and initially received by Battlehawks wide receiver Keith Mumphery. Mumphery almost immediately pitched it to teammate Joe Powell, who was running a reverse route across the field. Powell caught the Guardians off guard and was able to take a hole along the sideline for 84 yards to the endzone. The XFL has teams line up five yards apart from each other on the returning team’s 30 yard line. They are not allowed to move until the ball is either caught or touches the turf. If the ball is kicked out of bounds or into the endzone, it is placed on the 35 yard line. These changes are supposed to incentive returns and limit high speed collisions between players. It took a while for the rule change to result in a touchdown, but hopefully, this was just the first of many kick returns under the league’s modified rules.  

  • The XFL’s average attendance was higher than Week 2, marking the third straight week of attendance growth. In Week 3, the league averaged 20,485 fans per game, up 7.4% from Week 2’s average of 19,071. This high average was supported by the league’s final two home openers. On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Vipers hosted the Houston Roughnecks at Raymond James Stadium and drew a reported attendance of 18,117 fans. The following day, the Battlehawks hosted the New York Guardians for their first home game at the Dome in St. Louis. The game garnered 29,554 fan, selling out the entire bottom bowl of the stadium, surpassing the XFL’s attendance record set in Seattle during Week 2. However, the attendance at stadiums which hosted previous games were not as strong. Seattle’s CenturyLink Field had a billed attendance of 22,060 fans, positive in its own right (the third highest attended game of the season), but down 24.3% from the attendance at the same stadium in Week 2. The Los Angeles Wildcats continued to have poor attendance at Dignity Health Sports Park, with a league low 12,211 fans, down 18.5% from Week 2. The Wildcats’s two home games are the two least attended games of the season. The XFL is now complete with all season openers, but all Week 4 games will be played at stadiums that have only hosted one game so far (Metlife Field, The Dome, GlobeLife Park and Raymond James Stadium). I am interested if the league can keep its average attendance growing, even without the boost caused by home openers.  

  • Despite the strong attendance, television ratings fell for the second week in a row. The four games on ESPN, ABC, Fox and FS1 averaged 1.61 million viewers. That is down 21.8% from Week 2 and 48.5% from Week 1. Saturday afternoon’s Seattle-Dallas game broadcast on Fox drew the most viewers with an average of 2.05 million over the course of the broadcast. That is down 11.7% from Week 2’s broadcast on Fox. The second most viewed game was Saturday’s ABC game between the Roughnecks and Vipers, which drew an average of 1.91 million viewers, down 10.9% from the prior week’s game on that network. The Wildcats-Defenders game broadcast on Sunday on FS1 drew an average of 1.00 million viewers, down 28.3% from FS1’s Week 2 broadcast. The final game, which was between St. Louis and New York, was broadcast on ESPN and drew 1.47 million fans. Although many involved with the league are probably not surprised by the drop in viewership, I am sure that they were hoping for a smaller decline. Interestingly, the AAF actually increased viewers between Week 3 and Week 4 of its season, so it will be interesting to see if a similar pattern occurs for the XFL. However, the AAF had much lower ratings than the XFL has at this point in the season and AAF games were broadcast on more obscure networks. An argument can be made that the AAF had reached its floor by Week 3 of its season, while the XFL might still have room to fall. 

  • Keep reading to see WCBN’s XFL power rankings, Players of the Week, MVP race standings, and our Week 4 game to watch. ​

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XFL Week Two recap, Players of the Week and Power Rankings

2/21/2020

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​By Adam Bressler
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In his first game back from injury, quarterback Landry Jones led the Dallas Renegades to its first victory of the season, a 25-18 win over the Los Angeles Wildcats. Photo by Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
The XFL is in full swing, which means another week of spring football to contain my appetite for the sport. I don’t have quite as much to say about Week 2 as I did last week, but here are my quick thoughts on the happenings around the league: 

  • The main takeaway from Week 2 is that the XFL is a quarterback’s league. The teams with talented quarterbacks have been successful, while teams without have been tough to watch. Just consider this past week’s matchup between the DC Defenders and New York Guardians. The Defenders cruised to a dominant victory behind elite quarterback Cardale Jones, while the Guardians struggled to get a first down as quarterback Matt McGloin threw 2 interceptions and was benched in favor of backup Marquise Williams. However, when teams with competent quarterbacks face each other, as seen last weekend when the St. Louis Battlehawks, led by Jordan Ta'amu, faced P.J. Walker’s Roughnecks in Houston. The game was arguably the most balanced of the season intermission of quarterback skill. As a result, fans were able to enjoy a neck-and-neck shootout, which was more competitive than many NFL games. I am curious to see how the XFL attempts to address this problem in future seasons. Out of all players, the NFL is most likely to poach the XFL’s elite quarterbacks and I think very few fans and coaches would be surprised to see Walker or Jones in an NFL jersey in August. Will the XFL be able to retain enough elite quarterbacks from the pool of players unable to make it in the NFL? Will they attempt to poach players of their own from the Canandian Football League?

  • Week 2 featured the first instances several XFL rule modifications were taken advantage of. In the first game of the week, DC Defenders head coach Pep Hamilton called the first ever double pass in XFL history. Schematically, the play design was very similar to a flea flicker. Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones revived the snap and pitched it to running back Donnel Pumphrey. Pumphrey then pitched it back to Jones, who was standing unguarded in the pocket and was able to pass it to wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins for a 21-yard gain. However, since the first pitch went slightly forward, it is considered a forward pass. Under the NFL rules, Jones would be unable to throw the ball forward after reviving the pitch from Pumphrey. However, in the XFL, this play was perfectly legal. Also, Week 2 saw the first ever successful 3-point conversation in XFL history. After teams score a touchdown, they are given the option of attempting a 1-, 2- or 3-point conversion from the 2, 5 and 10 yard line, respectively. During the first week, not a single coach elected to go for 3 points after scoring. In the first game of Week 2, Hamilton’s Defenders elected to go for three late in the game after extending their lead to 27-0 over the New York Guardians. However, the conversation attempt resulted in an incomplete pass from Jones. The following day, the Los Angeles Wildcats were trailing the Dallas Renegades by 10 points in the 4th quarter, before Nelson Spruce scored a 44-yard touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 4 points. The Wildcats elected to go for the 3-point conversion and were aided by an offsides penalty called on Dallas, which moved the line of scrimmage half the distance to the goal line to the 5. Quarterback Josh Johnson connected with Adonis Jennings in the endzone to complete the conversion. Despite the conversion, the Wildcats ended up losing the game 18-25. Over the course of the season, I am interested to see the creative play calling that makes uses of these modified rules. 

  • There might be a possible quarterback controversy in New York. Coming off of an incredibly dominant Week 1, Guardians quarterback Matt McGloin was frustrated by the Defenders strong defense. Through 3 quarters, McGloin completed 8 of 19 pass attempts for a total of 44 yards. Exacerbating the struggles, McGloin made some controversial statements to ABC’s sideline reporter immediately after throwing the first of two interceptions, saying, "We need to change the whole entire gameplan.” When asked for a statement during halftime, Guardians head coach Kevin Gilbride responded, "I need to go talk to him & figure out what the problem is because he needs to play better." After throwing a second pick and bring benched in favor of backup Marquise Williams, McGloin double downed on his sentiment, saying, "at no point in time did I think we were comfortable out there. At no point in time did I think we were in a position to try to be successful." I am keeping an eye on who head coach Kevin Gilbride decides to put under center during Week 3 when the Guardians face the Battlehawks in St. Louis.

  • The XFL also had its first referee no-call controversy last weekend. Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday evening’s St. Louis-Houston game, the Battlehawks were trailing 18-21 and driving down the field. On 2nd and 14, a Houston defensive lineman clearly jumped offsides. Believing it to be free play, St. Louis quarterback Jordan Ta'amu threw a risky pass intended for wide receiver Alonzo Russell. The pass was intercepted, but the anticipated flag never came. Houston punched in the ball for a touchdown two plays later and was able to hold off the Battlehawks with a final score of 24-28.

  • The league’s average attendance was higher than Week 1, however, the figures might be misleading. In Week 2, the league averaged 19,071 fans per game, up 9.3% from Week 1’s average of 17,454. However, Week 2’s average attendance was aided by the first home game at CenturyLink Field In Seattle, which garnered a league record attendance of 29,172 fans (first game to break 20,000 fans in league history). However, when comparing attendance between stadiums that hosted games in both Week 1 and Week 2 paints a bleaker picture. The Defenders had a billed attendance of 15,031 at Audi Field this past weekend, a 12.4% drop from Week 1 (17,163) — although it is worth noting that the temperature was below freezing in Washington at kickoff, which surely depressed attendance. Similarly, attendance at Houston’s TDECU Stadium (17,103 in Week 2) dropped 4.0% from Week 1 (17,815). The Los Angeles Wildcats had the most disappointing turnout of the week, with 14,979 fans at the team’s home opener, the lowest attended game all season. If the home opener at Dignity Health Sports Park was so low, that is not a good sign for the rest of the season in California. Next week will be the final two home openers. The Houston Roughnecks take on the Vipers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, whole the New York Guardians will face the Battlehawks in St. Louis at The Dome. Both are current or former NFL stadiums, so it is unlikely that either will sell out. However, the Battlehawks have the potential for a big turnout. St. Louis has the highest local television ratings for XFL broadcasts so far this season, and the city is clamoring for a team to support since the Rams moved to Los Angeles in 2016. The team has reportedly sold out the entire bottom bowl at The Dome, which amounts to around 28,000 seats. The team has no plans to open up the upper level and second hand sales are going for an average of $100 per ticket. 

  • As expected, TV viewership dropped in its second week, but was still pretty respectable for a fledgling league. Between the four broadcasts, the XFL averaged 2.06 million fans, down 37.9% from last week (average of 3.318). Sunday afternoon’s Dallas-Los Angeles game, which was broadcast on ABC, drew the largest viewership of the weekend with an average of 2.397 million viewers. However, that is still a 29% drop from Week 1’s ABC game. The second largest viewership of the weekend was Fox’s coverage of the Tampa-Seattle game, with 2.324 million viewers, a 21% from the previous week’s Fox game. Saturday afternoon’s ABC game between New York and DC averaged 2.146 million viewers, while Sunday evening’s Houston-St. Louis game averaged 1.395 million viewers on FS1. Sunday’s game was the first to be broadcast on FS1, the least carried of the XFL’s four broadcast partners. Big viewership drops between weeks 1 and 2 are nothing new for spring football leagues. As novelty wears off, some fans are assured to tune out. Last year’s AAF had a 69% drop between weeks 1 and 2, although this was certainly magnified by a shift from CBS to sparsely-carried premium cable network NFL Network. The original iteration of the XFL in 2001 dropped 52% between weeks 1 and 2. XFL’s comparatively minor drop is promising, especially if the ratings can stabilize over the coming weeks. 

  • Keep reading to see WCBN’s XFL power rankings, Players of the Week, MVP race standings, and our Week 3 game to watch.

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Pre Combine NFL 7 Round Mock Draft

2/20/2020

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Andrew Miller
ROUND 1
  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Joe Burrow QB, LSU
  2. Washington Redskins- Chase Young EDGE, OSU
  3. Detroit Lions- Jeffrey Okudah CB, OSU
  4. NY Giants- Jedrick Wills OT, Alabama
  5. Miami Dolphins- Tua Tagovailoa QB, Alabama
  6. LA Chargers- Justin Herbert QB, Oregon
  7. Carolina Panthers- Derrick Brown DL, Panthers
  8. Arizona Cardinals- Mekhi Becton OT, Louisville
  9. Jacksonville Jaguars- Isaiah Simmons LB, Clemson
  10. Cleveland Browns- Tristan Wirfs OT, Iowa
  11. NY Jets- Jerry Jeudy WR, Alabama
  12. Las Vegas Raiders- CeeDee Lamb WR, Oklahoma
  13. Indianapolis Colts- Jordan Love QB, Utah State
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- CJ Henderson CB, Florida
  15. Denver Broncos- Andrew Thomas OT, Georgia
  16. Atlanta Falcons- AJ Epenesa EDGE, Iowa
  17. Dallas Cowboys- Javon Kinlaw DL, South Carolina
  18. Miami Dolphins (via PIT)- K’Lavon Chaisson EDGE, LSU
  19. Las Vegas Raiders (via CHI)- Kristian Fulton CB, LSU
  20. Jacksonville Jaguars (via LAR)- Josh Jones OT, Houston
  21. Philadelphia Eagles- Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
  22. Buffalo Bills- Tee Higgins WR, Clemson
  23. NE Patriots- Yetur Gross-Matos EDGE, PSU
  24. NO Saints- Kenneth Murray LB, Oklahoma
  25. Minnesota Vikings- Austin Jackson OT, USC
  26. Miami Dolphins- D’Andre Swift RB, Georgia
  27. Seattle Seahawks- Terrell Lewis EDGE, Alabama
  28. Baltimore Ravens- Patrick Queen LB, LSU
  29. Tennessee Titans- Ross Blacklock DL, TCU
  30. Green Bay Packers- Laviska Shenault WR, Colorado
  31. SF 49ers- Grant Delpit S, LSU
  32. Kansas City Chiefs- Xavier McKinney S, Alabama





ROUND 2
  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Curtis Weaver EDGE, Boise State
  2. Indianapolis Colts (via WAS)- Justin Jefferson WR, LSU
  3. Detroit Lions- Tyler Biadasz IOL, Wisconsin
  4. NY Giants- Jeff Gladney CB, TCU
  5. LA Chargers- Cesar Ruiz IOL, Michigan
  6. Carolina Panthers- Lloyd Cushenberry III IOL, LSU
  7. Miami Dolphins- Donovan Peoples-Jones WR, Michigan
  8. Arizona Cardinals- Brandon Aiyuk WR, ASU
  9. Cleveland Browns- Isaiah Wilson OT, Georgia
  10. Jacksonville Jaguars- Antoine Winfield S, Minnesota
  11. Chicago Bears (via LV)- Zach Baun EDGE, Wisconsin
  12. Indianapolis Colts- Tevon Diggs CB, Alabama
  13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Raekwon Davis DL, Alabama
  14. Denver Broncos- Neville Gallimore DL, Oklahoma
  15. Atlanta Falcons- Jonathan Taylor RB, Wisconsin
  16. NY Jets- Lucas Niang OT, TCU
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers- Julian Okwara EDGE, Notre Dame
  18. Chicago Bears- Matt Hennessy IOL, Temple
  19. Dallas Cowboys- AJ Terrell CB, Clemson
  20. LA Rams- Prince Tega Wanogho OT, AUburn
  21.  Philadelphia Eagles- Damon Arnette CB, OSU
  22. Buffalo Bills- Ben Bredeson G, Michigan
  23. Atlanta Falcons (via NE)- Justin Madubuike DL, Texas A&M
  24. Miami Dolphins (via NO)- Jaylon Johnson CB, Utah
  25. Houston Texans- Matt Peart OL, Uconn
  26. Minnesota Vikings- Noah Igbinoghene CB, Auburn
  27. Seattle Seahawks- KJ Hammler WR, PSU
  28. Baltimore Ravens- Van Jefferson WR, Florida
  29. Tennessee Titans- Joshua Uche EDGE, Michigan
  30. Green Bay Packers- Logan Stenberg IOL, Kentucky
  31. KC Chiefs (via SF)- JK Dobbins RB, OSU
  32. Seattle Seahawks (via KC)- Ashtyn Davis, California





ROUND 4
  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Shane Lemieux IOL, Oregon
  2. Washington Redskins- Clyde Edwars-Helaire RB, LSU
  3. Detroit Lions- Kyle Dugger S, Lenoir-Rhyne
  4. NY Jets-Bradley Anae EDGE, Utah (via NYG)
  5. Carolina Panthers- Jacob Eason QB, Washington
  6. Miami Dolphins- Cole Kmet TE, Notre Dame
  7. LA Chargers- Marlon Davidson DL, Auburn 
  8. Arizona Cardinals- Jonathan Greenard EDGE, Florida
  9. Jacksonville Jaguars- Bryce Hall CB, Virginia
  10. Cleveland Browns- K’Von Wallace S, Clemson
  11. Indianapolis Colts- Jabari Zuniga EDGE, Florida
  12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Cam Akers RB, FSU
  13. Denver Broncos- Jordyn Brooks LB, Texas Tech
  14. Atlanta Falcons- Jake Fromm QB, Georgia
  15. NY Jets- Brycen Hopkins TE, Purdue
  16. Las Vegas Raiders - Jalen Reagor WR, TCU
  17. Las Vegas Raiders (via CHI)- Malik Harrison LB, OSU
  18. Dallas Cowboys- Thaddeus Moss TE, LSU
  19. Denver Broncos (via PIT)- John Simpson IOL, Clemson
  20. LA Rams- Robert Hunt IOL, Louisiana
  21. Philadelphia Eagles- Nick Harris IOL, Washington
  22. Buffalo Bills- Anfernee Jennings EDGE, Alabama
  23. NE Patriots- Hunter Bryant TE, Washington
  24. NO Saints- Tyler Johnson WR, Minnesota
  25. Minnesota Vikings- Damien Lewis IOL, LSU
  26. Cleveland Browns (via HOU)- Troy Dye LB, Oregon
  27. Las Vegas Raiders (via SEA)- Julian Blackmon S, Utah
  28. Baltimore Ravens- Khalid Kareem EDGE, Notre Dame
  29. Tennessee Titans- Jalen Hurts QB, Oklahoma
  30. Green Bay Packers- Jacob Phillips LB, LSU
  31. Denver Broncos- Darnay Holmes CB, UCLA
  32. Kansas City Chiefs- Lamar Jackson CB, Nebraska





ROUND 5
  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Akeem Davis-Gaith LB, Appalachian State
  2. Washington Redskins- KJ Hill WR, OSU
  3. Detroit Lions- Darrell Taylor EDGE, Tennessee
  4. NY Giants- Alex Highsmith EDGE, Charlotte
  5. Houston Texans (via MIA)- Zach Moss RB, Utah
  6. LA Chargers- Amik Robertson CB, Louisiana Tech
  7. Carolina Panthers- Kenny Willekes EDGE, MSU
  8. Arizona Cardinals- Jake Hanson IOL, Oregon
  9. Cleveland Browns- Michael Ojemudia CB, Iowa
  10. Jacksonville Jaguars- Collin Johnson WR, Texas
  11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Trevon Hill EDGE, Miami
  12. Denver Broncos- Albert Okwuegbunam TE, Mizzou
  13. Atlanta Falcons- Tommy Kraemer OG, Notre Dame
  14. NY Jets- Jonathan Garvin EDGE, Miami
  15. Las Vegas Raiders-Netane Muti, IOL, Fresno State
  16. Indianapolis Colts- Rishard Lawerence DL, LSU
  17. Dallas Cowboys- Myles Bryant CB, Washington
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers- Hunter Bryant TE, FAU
  19. NE Patriots (via CHI)- Saahdiq Charles OT, LSU
  20. LA Rams- Jordan Fuller S, OSU
  21. Philadelphia Eagles- Kamal Martin LB, Minnesota
  22. Buffalo Bills- Leki Fotu DL, Utah
  23. Baltimore Ravens (via NE)- Jordan Elliott EDGE, Mizzou
  24. NO Saints- Jonah Jackson OL,OSU
  25. Houston Texans- OSU Gabriel Davis WR, UCF
  26. Minnesota Vikings- Tyler Clark DL, Georgia
  27. Seattle Seahawks- Lamical Perine RB, Florida
  28. Baltimore Ravens- Trey Adamas OT, Washington
  29. Pittsburgh Steelers (via TEN)- Bryce Perkins QB, Virginia
  30. Green Bay Packers - Ben Bartch OT, St. John
  31. Denver Broncos (via SF)- Jeremy Chinn S, S. Illinois
  32. KC Chiefs- Terence Steele OT, Texas Tech





ROUND 6
  1. Cincinnatti Bengals- Hakeem Adeniji OT, Kansas
  2. Washington Redskins- Jack Driscoll OT, Auburn
  3. Detroit Lions- Michael Pittman Jr. WR, USC
  4. NY Giants- Denzel Mims WR, Baylor
  5. LA Chargers- Quartney Davis, Texas A&M
  6. Carolina Panthers- Brandon Jones S, Texas
  7. Arizona Cardinals (via Miami)- Alohi Gilman S, Notre Dame
  8. Arizona Cardinals- FORFEITED
  9. Seattle Seahawks (via JAX)- Michael Onwenu IOL, Michigan
  10. Buffalo Bills (via CLE)- Cameron Dantzler CB, Miss State
  11. SF 49ers (via DEN)- Troy Pride Jr. CB, Notre Dame
  12. Atlanta Falcons- Calvin Throckmorton OT, Oregon
  13. NY Jets- Laurel Murchison DL, NC State
  14. Chicago Bears (via LV)- Jared Pinkey TE, Vaderbilt
  15. Indianapolis Colts- Evan Weaver LB, California
  16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Ezra Cleveland OT, Boise State
  17. Miami Dolphins (via PIT)- Solomon Kindley IOL, Georgia
  18. Chicago Bears- Essang Bassey CB. Wake Forest
  19. Dallas Cowboys- Nick Coe EDGE, Auburn
  20. Miami Dolphins (via LAR)- AJ Green CB, Ok State
  21. Philadelphia Eagles- JR Reed S, Georgia
  22. Buffalo Bills- Anthony McFarland RB, Maryland
  23. Philadelphia Eagles (via NE)-  Keshawn Vaughn RB, Vanderbilt
  24. NO Saints- Trajan Bandy CB, Miami
  25. Baltimore Ravens- Levonta Taylor CB, FSU
  26. Houston Texans- Harrison Hand CB, Temple
  27. Detroit Lions (via Saints)- Colby Parkinson TE, Stnaford
  28. LA Rams (via BAL)- Stanford Samuels III CB, FSU
  29. Tennessee Titans- Darryl Williams IOL, Miss St
  30. Green Bay Packers- Adam Trautman TE, Dayton
  31. SF 49ers- Joe Bachie LB, MSU
  32. KC Chiefs- Alton Robinson EDGE, Syracuse





  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Terrell Burgess S, Utah
  2. Denver Broncos (via WAS)- Antoine Brooks Jr. S. Maryland
  3. Detroit Lions- Shaquille Quarterman LB, Miami
  4. NY Giants- Jason Strowbridge IDL, North Carolina
  5. Carolina Panthers- Markus Bailey LB, Purdue
  6. Miami Dolphins- Richie Grant S, UCF
  7. LA Chargers- Davon Hamilton IDL, OSU
  8. Cleveland Browns (via ARI)-  Michael Divinity Jr. EDGE, LSU
  9. Buffalo Bills (via CLE)- Bryan Edwards WR, South Carolina
  10. Jacksonville Jaguars- Eno Benjamin RB, ASU
  11. Philadelphia Eagles (via ATL)- David Woodward LB, Utah State
  12. NY Jets- Isaiah Hodges WR, Ok state
  13. Green Bay (via LV)- Dane Jackson CB, Pitt
  14. Indianapolis Colts- Shyheim Carter S, Alabama
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Justin Herron OT, Wake Forest
  16. NE Patriots (via DEN)- Steven Montez QB, Colorado
  17. Chicago Bears- Rodrigo Blankenship K, Georgia
  18. Miami Dolphins (via DAL)- Houston Miller EDGE, TTU
  19. Pittsburgh Steelers- Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty
  20. LA Rams-Mohamed Barry LB, Nebraska
  21. Chicago Bears (via PHI)- Anthony Gordon QB, Washington State
  22. Buffalo Bills- Jacob Breeland TE, Oregon
  23. Arizona Cardinals (via NE)- Joshua Kelley RB, UCLA
  24. NO Saints-Reggie Floyd S, Va Tech
  25. NE Patriots (via HOU)- Jalen Elliott S, Notre Dame
  26. Minnesota Vikings- Jauan Jennings WR, Tennessee
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars (via SEA)- Mike Danna DE, Michigan
  28. Buffalo Bills (via BAL)- Tremayne Anchrum OT, Clemson
  29. Tennessee Titans- Cheyenne O’Grady TE, Arkansas
  30. Green Bay Packers- Jared Hilbers IOL, Washington
  31. SF 49ers- Justin Strnad LB, Wake Forest
  32. Indianapolis Colts (via KC)- Scott Franzt OT< Kansas State





ROUND 7
  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Tino Ellis CB, Maryland
  2. Washington Redskins- Cole McDonald QB, Hawaii
  3. SF 49ers (via DET)- Quintez Cephus WR, Wisconsin
  4. NY Giants- Mykal Walker LB, Fresno State
  5. Minnesota Vikings (via MIA)- TJ Brunson LB, South Carolina
  6. LA Chargers- Davion Taylor LB, Colorado
  7. Carolina Panthers- Sean McKeon TE, Michigan
  8. Arizona Cardinals- McTelvin Agim IDL, Arkansas
  9. Jacksonville Jaguars- Darrynton Evans RB, Appalachian State
  10. Green Bay Packers (via CLE)- Josh Metellus S, Michigan
  11. NY Jets- Geno Stone S, Iowa
  12. Las Vegas Raiders- Nevelle Clark S, UCF
  13. Indianapolis Colts- Francis Bernard LB, Utah
  14. Atlanta Falcons (via TB)- Binjimen Victor WR, OSU
  15. Washington Redskins (via DEN)- Chase Claypool WR, Notre Dame 
  16. NE Patriots (via ATL)- DJ Wonnum DE, South Carolina
  17. Dallas Cowboys- Reggie Robinson II CB, Tulsa
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers- Patrick Taylor Jr. RB, Memphis
  19. Chicago Bears- Raequan Williams DL, MSU
  20. LA Rams- LA Rams- Antonio Gibson RB, Memphis
  21. NE Patriots (via PHI)- Devin Duvernay WR, Texas
  22. Tennessee Titans (via BUF)- John Runyan OL, Michigan
  23. Denver Broncos (via NE)- Nate Stanley QB, Iowa
  24. NY Giants (via NO)- James Morgan QB, FIU
  25. Minnesota Vikings- Myles Dorn S, North Carolina
  26. Houston Texans- Christian Rector EDGE, USC
  27. Seattle Seahawks- Khalil Tate QB, Arizona
  28. Green Bay Packers (via BAL)- Khaleke Hudson S, Michigan
  29. Tennessee Titans- Jordan Glasgow S, Michigan
  30. Cleveland Browns (via GB)- Khalil Davis IDL, Nebraska
  31. SF 49ers- Alex Taylor OT, South Carolina State
  32. Miami Dolphins (via KC)- AJ Dillon RB, Boston College
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XFL Week One recap, Players of the Week and Power Rankings

2/13/2020

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By Adam Bressler
Picture
Houston Roughnecks quarterback P.J. Walker scored 4 touchdowns in his Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Wildcats. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
After a nearly two decade hiatus, the XFL is back in action. Week 1 of the season did not disappoint and was an absolute joy to watch. The on-field product was palatable, while the off-field antics gave the fledgeling league some character. Here are my quick thoughts on the happenings around the league: 

  • The gameplay was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Unlike the AAF, which at times was incredibly slow paced, the pacing of XFL games felt akin to the NFL. The league featured extensive passing, which is expected considering the league’s inexperienced offensive line corps. Only 3 rushing touchdowns were scored league-wide during Week 1, compared to 12 passing touchdowns. It will be curious to see if these passing-centric playbooks continue over the course of the season or if teams rely more on running backs as the offensive linemen improve. 

  • The first weekend of play featured nearly every fan favorite play. In the opening game between the Seattle Dragons and DC Defenders, Defenders cornerback Elijah Campbell blocked a punt, which was recovered by teammate Jonathan Celestin in the endzone for a touchdown. Later in that game, Defenders cornerback Bradley Sylve intercepted a pass intended for Austin Proehl and returned it for a pick six. At the end of the first half, Defenders placekicker Tyler Rausa successfully kicked a 54 yard field goal. And the most exciting play of the game occured in the third quarter when a fleaflicker pitch resulted in Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones connecting with Khari Lee for a 39 yard touchdown. All of these exciting plays occurred in a single game, more than many NFL games.

  • The rule changes that separate the XFL from the NFL were largely dormant during Week 1. After scoring a touchdown, teams generally went for the standard one extra point. There were only 8 two point attempts, with only three of them being successful. No team attempted a three point conversion during Week 1. The modified kick off, although successful in limiting touchbacks (only 2 occured all weekend), did not result in any major gains as expected. And not a single head coach had the guts to attempt the fabled double pass. In future weeks, I will be watching to see if any team has the guts to attempt a three point conversion or double pass. 

  • A goal of the XFL from day one was to have quicker games. At the very first press conference which publicly announced the league, Vince McMahon said he wanted the league to have “less stall, more ball”. Although McMahon originally aimed for an average game to be under two hours, Commissioner Oliver Luck said that they are aiming for games to be under a more reasonable 2 hours and 45 minutes. In the first week of play, they were unable to reach that goal, with games coming out to an average length of 2 hours and 56 minutes. This is slightly shorter than the average NFL game (Around 10 minutes shorter to be precise), but still a far cry from the innovation that the league’s executives had in mind before the season. I imagine the average length will shorten slightly over the next few weeks as players, officials and broadcasters become more accustomed to the XFL’s modified rules, but I don’t anticipate it making much of an impact. 

  • The one rule change that was very successful was the modified punting rules. Under the XFL rulebook, any punts that go out of bounds or into the endzone are treated as a touchback and placed on the 35 yard line. This incentives coaches to go for it on 4th and short, when they might have elected to punt otherwise. In the DC-Seattle game, Defenders head coach Pep Hamilton faced a 4th and 6 with the ball on the Dragons’ 31 yard line. In the NFL, a coach might attempt to coffin corner a punt, pinning the opening team near their endzone, but preventing the possibility of a return. Under the XFL’s punting rules, all coffin corners would result in a touchback, where the ball is placed on the 35-yard line. In this situation, it would have been more strategic to take a turnover on downs, or a knee for a loss of yards, than risk punting the ball out of bounds or into the endzone. As a result, Hamilton decided to go for it on 4th and 6, which resulted in a 31 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashad Ross. Thanks to the XFL’s modified punting rules, an otherwise boring and routine play was replaced with one of the most exciting of the game.

  • The attendance and television viewership were both solid. All four games featured a billed attendance between 17,000 and 18,000 fans, with the league averaging 17,454 fans per game (HOU: 17,815; NY: 17,634; DAL: 17,206; DC: 17,163). This is slightly less than the 19,210 fans that the AAF averaged during Week 1 last season, but is comparable to the average attendance at an NBA or NHL game. The television viewership averaged 3.12 million viewers, which is quite decent for an upstart league. Last year, the AAF averaged 2.9 million viewers during its first week. The opening game between the DC Defenders and Seattle Dragons, which was broadcast nationally on ABC, averaged 3.30 million viewers. Saturday’s late game between the Los Angeles Wildcats and Houston Roughnecks averaged 3.29 million on FOX. The most viewed game of the weekend occured on Sunday for Fox’s coverage of the New York Guardians vs Tampa Bay Vipers, which averaged 3.39 million viewers. The final game on Sunday between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Dallas Renegades was broadcast on ESPN and received 2.50 million viewers, slightly less than the other three games since it was the league’s lone cable game. The three games on broadcast television ranked second, third and fourth, respectively, among this weekend’s live sporting events, behind only the PGA Tour on CBS. Notably, those three games surpassed ESPN’s coverage of Duke vs North Carolina men’s basketball and the Lakers vs Warriors game on ABC. The question remains if the league can match, or even improve, its decent attendance and viewership numbers over the course of the season. I will keep an eye on the billed attendance for the home openers in Seattle and St. Louis. Both cities are expected to draw a large number of fans and have even opened up more sections for seating during their upcoming games (Both the Dragons and Battlehawks play in NFL, or former-NFL, stadiums and are only selling tickets in certain sections of the stadium). Reportably, the Seattle Dragons expect to surpass 20,000 spectators, while the St. Louis Battlehawks are expecting over 25,000 fans in attendance. If the original XFL and last year’s AAF are any indication, the television viewership will almost certainly drop off during Week 2 as the league’s novelty wears off for many fans. Best case scenario, the XFL retains an average viewership of 2.5 million fans for its Week 2 slate of games, and then slowly grows its viewership over the remainder of the season.    
       
  • Although I was initially skeptical, I enjoyed the in-game interviews with players. I found that these moments humanized the players and added personality to the broadcasts. In an upstart league with very few household names (Cardale Jones and Aaron Murray are the only two who come to mind) these interviewers are an ingenious method of helping fans get to know the players. Additionally, in an era where fans expect professional athletes to be infallible, these interviews work wonders in humanizing the players. Also, they aid in investing in storylines over the course of games. For example, consider Tyler Rausa, the placekicker for the DC Defenders. Early in the second quarter, Rausa missed a 35 yard field goal that would have tied the game. Immediately after the kick, sideline reporter Dianna Russini asked him about his mindset. Because of that interview, fans were especially proud of Rausa when he nailed a 54 yard kick later in the game. Finally, the in-game interviews are opportunities for the occasional gem, such as Seattle center Dillon Day’s inadvertent profanity after Day was penalized for an on-field skirmish.

  • Continuing off of the last topic, Pat McAfee as an XFL sideline reporter for ESPN is incredible to watch. McAfee, the former All-Pro punter for the Indianapolis Colts, was ESPN’s ears on the field for Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Dallas Renegades. Throughout the game, he interviewed players, coaches and even found time to speak with XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck and Troy Aikman, the three time Super Bowl champion quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. McAfee’s best moment came of the evening came in the third quarter during a punt from the Battlehawk’s Marquette King. On Fourth & 4, St. Louis elected to punt from their own 37 yard line. King blasts the ball over 60 yards and it comes to rest right on Dallas’ 2 yard line, a near perfect punt. McAfee is gushing about how beautiful the kick was when Battlehawks linebacker Steve Beauharnais pushed it into the endzone, causing a touchback and placing the ball at Dallas’ 35 yard line. McAfee, ESPN’s undisputed punting expert, was outraged and instantly said “I'm going to go talk to that guy”. True to his word, mere seconds later, he got the scoop from Beauharnais (who claimed that he thought the Dallas returner had touched the ball, making it live). McAfee’s position as both a former player and fan of the game at heart makes him a perfect sideline reporter (I believe this reasoning is similar to why Tony Romo has seen so much success as Color Commentator for CBS). During Week 2, McAfee will be covering the 3:00 game on Sunday between the Dallas Renegades and the Los Angeles Wildcats, which will be broadcast on ABC. I am excited to follow McAfee’s commentary over the course of the season and to see if his stint with the XFL becomes a stepping stone for his career.         

  • In my opinion, the league’s other broadcast innovation, allowing fans to hear play calls in real time, was not as successful. Before the first game, I was pretty excited about this, as I thought it would allow fans to be tipped off about what is happening. However, as I should have expected, the coaches communicated in coded phrases, and might as well have been speaking German. Maybe this has a chance to go viral in future weeks with a repeat of Peyton Manning’s 2015 “Omaha” trend, but for now, this addition will be appreciated by few. 

  • The XFL is dominating their social media presence. The XFL is going to see much success if it can engage fans, particularly a younger audience, through social media. And so far, the league is doing a fantastic job. Even before the first kickoff, team accounts were forming rivalries with each other. In one poorly-aged tweet, the official Dallas Renegades account posted “@XFLBattleHawks QUICK! Re-post this while it’s still relevant for you!” and included a photo from @XFLonFOX which listed every team as undefeated (The Battlehawks went on to beat the Renegades 15-9). During games, accounts post highlights, scoring updates and interviews with players and fans. And these accounts are unafraid to break the norms of professional sports by posting memes about their opponents. One particularly schathing gif posted by the DC Defenders instagram account after their victory over the Seattle Dragons showed a video from Seattle's famous Pike’s Place fish market. The gif had a giant “L” superimposed over a fish, which was being tossed from a Defenders fisherman to a Dragons fisherman. To close out the weekend, the main XFL account posted “NFL Red Zone”-esque clip on Instagram showing every single touchdown of the entire weekend. The XFL’s social media presence enhanced my engagement with the games and players.

  • Finally, it would be a disservice to ignore the intangibles that made the weekend chaotic and unpredictable, yet awesome for fans. In what other league would you see players on a winning team (the St. Louis Battlehawks in this instance) shotgunning hard seltzer in the locker room after a Week 1 victory? What about a receiver on the Dallas Renegades doing push-ups as a self punishment after dropping a pass? Los Angeles Wildcats running back Elijah Hood leaped over a Roughneck Defender on Saturday. And probably the most absurd moment of all occurred when Houston wide receiver Kahlil Lewis started projectile vomiting during an extra point attempt (Apparently, he just chugged some gatorade and was too excited after teammate Cam Phillips scored the first touchdown in Roughneck history). Buckle up, because this is going to be a wild season. 

  • Keep reading to see WCBN’s XFL power rankings, Players of the Week, MVP race standings, and our Week 2 game to watch.

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Alex Drain's 2020 Oscar Ballot

2/8/2020

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By: Alex Drain

The 92nd Academy Awards will be held this Sunday and for the first ever time, I will be filling out an Oscar ballot for WCBN Sports. In the past two years I have ranked every movie I saw that year in a column typically published in December. This year, however, I refrained from doing so and instead published a Best of the 2010s movie rank in December, and for films explicitly in 2019, I’m publishing this piece. In this article I will hand out awards in each of the major categories, as well as my prediction on who I think will win, and at the end have attached my top 10 movies of the year rank. With that said, let’s dive in:

Best Picture 

My pick: Parasite
Will be: 1917 

For the second straight year, the best film was a foreign one. But for the second straight year, the question is whether the Academy will, at long last, coronate a foreign-language film as Best Picture, which it is yet to do in its 92 year history. Last year, Roma was snubbed of that honor and now we wonder whether Parasite will suffer the same fate. A Korean picture from director Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite is a movie that takes you on a wild ride, zigzagging like a roller coaster in and out of genres at will. Parasite is a searing commentary about class, showing how the poor and rich conflict, how neither are truly heroes and neither are truly villains, one ignorant and the other cunning, and also the manner in which this class conflict pit two sides against themselves. It is sewed together by a great score that suits the action and mood at every turn, with stellar editing, and acting to go along with its triumphant screenplay (the funniest non-comedy of the year), culminating in a rip-roaring 132 minutes that leave it with a shot to remake American perceptions of Korean cinema. Parasite is simply a landmark achievement for the Asian film industry, and an eye-opener for the American film lexicon. It is the best movie of the year and it should win Best Picture. It also was by far the most popular Best Picture pick at awards shows across America the past few months. It goes into the Sunday as the favorite, but also knowing that the foreign-language stigma has long prevented movies like Parasite from winning. Unfortunately, I’m a cynic when it comes to the Academy and I have to see it to believe it, so I’m tabbing 1917 as the will be pick since it won at the Golden Globes, but am desperately hoping to be proven wrong. 

Best Director

My pick: Sam Mendes, 1917 
Will be: Sam Mendes, 1917 

The old theory was that Best Picture and Best Director normally aligned, and that in theory, makes sense. But in recent years, the split has actually happened more often than not, occurring 5 of the last 7 ceremonies. My ballot would prefer a split but does not see that happening. I’ve made it quite clear that I think Parasite was the best movie of the year, but in terms of raw directorial work, I prefer Mendes over Bong Joon-Ho for this award. Parasite was masterfully done no question, but 1917 was exhilaratingly shot and was a touch of genius from director Sam Mendes. A film made in the one-shot style of Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) five years earlier, 1917 is able to capitalize on its unique camera style by pairing it with the gigantic backdrop of the western front of WWI, as opposed to the narrow corridors in Birdman. As a result we get a crisp and expansive image of war, that aims to transport you to the battlefield not through visual realism a la Saving Private Ryan (although the visual realism is very good) but through combining the sights, sounds, and emotion of war, packing them together, and then exploding them onto the big screen. You see the rotting corpses and the buzzing of the flies, seemingly in your ears. You get the dark moments of silence broken by sudden gunshots that ring out in jarring fashion. And that all goes back to the direction. Think of it this way: Parasite was built on the combined strength of its acting + screenplay + score + direction, 1917 was built almost entirely on its score + direction, with Mendes seemingly flexing his muscles throughout. While Joon-Ho is the award season favorite, I see Mendes as likely to get the award at the academy because if 1917 wins Best Picture, it’s hard to believe he won’t also get Best Director. And if it doesn’t, then the increasing rate of Director/Picture splits makes it decently probable that he could take this award anyway. 

Best Actor 

My pick: Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory 
Will be: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker 

I did not feel that either Best Actor or Best Actress were particularly strong fields this year and so I had a bit of trouble choosing my preferred winner. It ultimately came down to Adam Driver in Marriage Story, Banderas, and Phoenix. I was not nearly as wowed by Driver as others, and while I thought Phoenix was really good, I decided to lean towards giving the nod to Banderas for his crisp performance of an aging movie director in the Spanish film Pain and Glory. An underratedly good movie that would win best foreign language film in most years (ones in which Parasite doesn’t exist), Banderas brings a mix of regret, melancholy, optimism, and lust to his character, portraying a director looking to overcome a writer's block, as he traverses his past and longs for a more enjoyable future. However, the “will be” pick seemed pretty obvious to me, and I think they will ultimately give the award to Phoenix. The moment that Joker was nominated for 11 awards, it became hard to believe that it wouldn’t take home at least one, and with Phoenix long having been one of Hollywood’s better actors yet still not having an Oscar, it just makes sense that they will tab him. The other possibility is they give it to Driver, who is technically the pre-award favorite, but I just think it makes more sense for Phoenix to win given the circumstance. 

Best Actress 

My pick: Renée Zellwegger, Judy 
Will be: Renée Zellwegger, Judy 

Like Best Actor, I was pretty conflicted here. There wasn’t one performance that seemed to be an obvious winner, and this category also included the most baffling snub of all: Lupita Nyong’o in Us. Not just was Nyong’o an obvious contender for the category, she is quite literally the favorite for the award in terms of pre-award metrics (she cleaned up in this category at most smaller award shows). Yet the Academy failed to even nominate her. It’s like if Joe Burrow was not even named a Heisman finalist this year, simply incomprehensible. But with Nyong’o off the board and not an option, I decided to go with Zellwegger for her performance as Judy Garland in the biopic Judy. Zellwegger portrayed the declining but troubled superstar in her final years of life, and while Judy was nowhere near a great movie, Zellwegger’s performance stood out, acquiring the body type to play the gauntly thin Garland and was able to embody the somber emotion, the internal pain, and the wistful hope of a character whose career was much akin to captivity. It was not a perfect effort, but this was not a perfect category and I think that Zellwegger was just a hair better than Scarlett Johansen in this diluted Best Actress field, and I do ultimately think that the Academy will tab her as well. 

Best Supporting Actor 

My pick: Al Pacino, The Irishman 
Will be: Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood 

I’m throwing a curveball here. While the heavy favorite for this award is Brad Pitt (something I’m not opposed to and will discuss more in a second), and an actor from The Irishman is the likely runner up, I’m actually taking a different actor in that same movie as my pick: Al Pacino. Yes, it’s been co-star Joe Pesci who’s gotten the buzz as the most likely to win if it isn’t Pitt, I found Pacino’s portrayal of Jimmy Hoffa to be magnificent. Magnetizing, charismatic, witty, and it drew viewers in. Hoffa was the only well-known historical figure to be a main character in the movie, and so it was an inherently more difficult role than portraying the Buffalino crime boss as Pesci did. Pesci to be clear was very good too (as always), in a more gentle and reflective role than the high energy, buzzing characters that he made his mark with in the 80s and 90s in Raging Bull and Goodfellas. But for this, I liked the charisma and energy of Pacino more than the softer Pesci. If I had to rank this category, I would go 1.) Pacino, 2.) Pitt, 3.) Pesci, as Brad Pitt was impressive in Once Upon A Time, no doubt. The only difference is that it didn’t feel extraordinary. It felt like Brad Pitt doing a Brad Pitt character. That said, it works because the character that Tarantino asked Pitt to play is right in his wheelhouse, and Pitt smashed it out of the ballpark. Despite being one of the most famous and influential movie stars of his generation, Pitt still lacks an Academy Award and by all indications, that’s going to change on Sunday. I will have no issues if it does, although it’s not my first choice. Don’t think that this is simply a career achievement award for Pitt, but the reality is that him not having an Oscar already makes this all the more inevitable. 

Best Supporting Actress

My pick: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Will be: Laura Dern, Marriage Story 

For a movie that was soft and compassionate, it was surprisingly the electricity of Laura Dern that shone brightest in Marriage Story. Meant to be the purely cynical and uncompromising side of our marriage legal system, contrasting the gently separating couple, Dern explodes onto the scene like a keg of dynamite and blows everything up. Vicious in her attacks against Driver’s character and willing to do whatever to win Johansen’s character more custody of the couple’s child, Dern emanates out of the screen and is like every obnoxious divorce lawyer you’ve ever seen in TV advertisements. She’s so effective because of the stark contrast to the main characters, and the similarity of her portrayal to real life divorce lawyers. While Johansen and Driver are the humanity, Dern is the system devouring the characters like Pac-Man. Culminating in a wild scene where she dukes it out with Ray Liotta during the court hearing, Dern is precise and expressive, and constructs her character brilliantly. I have Dern as the easiest pick and more or less so do the critics. During the pre-Oscar run up, Dern won the most supporting actress awards, but Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers was at least within shouting distance. But then J-Lo failed to even be nominated and without that option even available, it’s not clear who even has a case (Florence Pugh in Little Women maybe?). Thus, Dern is my pick and the obvious pick to be the Academy’s choice on Sunday. 

Other Categories 

Best Original Screenplay: Parasite 
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Irishman 
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 4
Best International Feature: Parasite 
Best Original Score: 1917
Best Cinematography: 1917 
Best Costume Design: Little Women 

Bonus: My Top 10 Movies of the Year 

1. Parasite 
2. The Irishman
3. Marriage Story 
4. Once Upon A Time … in Hollywood
5. Little Women 
6. 1917 
7. Pain and Glory
8. Jojo Rabbit
9. Toy Story 4
10. The Farewell

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Four things to Watch in the XFL Reboot

2/7/2020

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By Adam Bressler
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XFL Owner and wrestling tycoon Vince McMahon as he introduces the resurrection of the XFL on January 25, 2018. The first game of the league will occur on February 8, 2020. Photo by Alpha Entertainment
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs captivated the nation with their comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. But after the final note of the Lombardi processional was played and the last pieces of confetti were vacuumed out of the turf at Hard Rock Stadium, football fans braced for the annual hibernation that takes place from February to August. 

Fortunately, this year, wrestling tycoon Vince McMahon is launching a substitute that aims to satisfy America’s appetite for football. Nearly two decades after the first iteration of the XFL collapsed, McMahon is hoping to learn from his mistakes when he reboots the league this weekend. Back in 2018, McMahon said, "I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one. A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, 'You were the one who screwed this up,' or 'You made this thing a success.'" I have been following the revived league since December 2017, when the XFL was simply a punchline and a reboot was nothing more than speculation. On January 25, 2018, McMahon live streamed a press conference over the internet to officially announce the return of the XFL. From the onset, McMahon did not want to rush the league’s development saying in the initial press conference, “We have two years now to really get it right.” The original iteration of the XFL was criticized for cutting corners and rushing the league to market. In the 743 days since the league’s announcement, host cities were selected, team names were revealed, players were drafted and a competitor, the infamous Alliance of American Football, played both its first and last games.
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    Now that the revived league’s inaugural game is scheduled this weekend in Washington, DC between the DC Defenders and the Seattle Dragons, here are four things to watch over the course of the season:

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Michigan Softball 2020 Season Preview

2/4/2020

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By: Alex Drain 

Another year, another season preview. Michigan Softball’s 2020 season is just 3 days from kicking off in Tampa, Florida, and with it, I’m here for our 3rd annual WCBN Sports Michigan Softball season preview article. We’ll cover the team, the schedule, and season expectations: 

The 2019 Team 

Michigan went 45-13 (22-1) to repeat as Big Ten Champions in what was a tumultuous season. The Wolverines went 3-2 in the Tampa tournament, losing close games to Arizona and Florida that gave some signs of optimism before embarking on a brutal stretch. They went just 1-3 in the ACC-B1G challenge against unranked North Carolina and Louisville, then 2-3 in the LSU Invitational. Entering the Judi Garman Classic, Michigan was 7-8 and the season was teetering on disaster as the team stared down a top 10 gauntlet. But that’s when the season started to turn, as Michigan knocked off #2 (and eventual national champion) UCLA, as well as #5 Washington. Michigan wasn’t totally out of the woods though, defeating #16 Arizona St. but stumbling against #21 James Madison and then embarrassingly, South Dakota. After returning to Alumni Field, Michigan went on an incredible run, going 28-1 to close out the regular season, including 22-1 in the conference to win the Big Ten Championship for the second straight year. With the #1 seed in the B1G Tourney, Michigan beat Illinois in extra innings on a dramatic Lexie Blair walk-off HR, smacked around Wisconsin 8-3 in the semifinal, and then beat national #12 Minnesota in a climactic 3-2 championship game. This gave Michigan both the regular season and tournament conference title for the first time since 2015 and were awarded a regional host for the first time since 2016, the national 15 seed in the tournament. But that came with a drawback: Michigan was paired with James Madison, by far the best team not to host a regional (they should’ve hosted one, in the author’s opinion). Michigan easily dispatched St. Francis (PA) before defeating James Madison in the game of the year, 1-0 in 12 innings on a Madison Uden walk-off single. But they had to defeat JMU one more time to move onto the Super Regional, and that’s where the season came to an end. Megan Good’s stellar pitching (and hitting) proved too much and Michigan dropped a Monday doubleheader 3-0 and 2-1 to conclude their season. 

Key Losses

Michigan loses a decent bit from their senior class. The three most notable are quite clearly Faith Canfield, Katie Alexander, and Natalie Peters. Canfield was one of the most remarkably consistent players in recent Michigan Softball history, hitting .398, .391, and .404 her final three seasons at Michigan, with 9, 7, and 9 HR’s. Her defense was also stellar and her overall play will not be easy to replace immediately. Alexander was a fan favorite, an excellent defensive catcher who hit .314 as a junior, and then knocked 10 HR’s as a senior last season before suffering an injury in game 1 of the regional. She was a lifeblood of the team but Michigan thankfully has an obvious successor lined up (more on that later). Peters, like Canfield, was incredibly consistent over her final three seasons, hitting over .300 all three years, a prototypical slap hitter who got on base, stole bases, and scored runs with little power. 

Beyond those three, Michigan loses Alex Sobczak and Mackenzie Nemitz. Both were bench players until having breakout seasons as seniors. Despite their mostly strong senior seasons, both cooled off by the end of the year (the latter was replaced in the starting lineup by the Regional), and so should not be considered of the same difficulty in replacement as the former three. That said, both were power hitters and their combined 15 HR’s will be an obvious area that needs to be replaced. 

(Note: pinch-runner specialist Grace Chelemen was a freshman last season but has transferred to Marshall University for unknown reasons. She had 7 at-bats last season). 

New Faces: 

Michigan reeled in the #4 recruiting class in the nation, so they will add a ton of talent to the roster for this season: 

  • Chandler Dennis, P: A top tier pitching prospect, Dennis is a Georgia recruit who is coming to Michigan and is in the top 30 nationally from multiple scouting services. She is a high strikeout pitcher who apparently can also hit and from the athletic department’s write up about the recruiting class, Carol Hutchins noted that Dennis “is really a pitcher we believe can come in and help us right away and contribute to our success." Given that, I’d expect to see some of Dennis right away, though I’m not sure how much given that Michigan already has two capable pitchers in Beaubien and Storako. 
 
  • Lauren Esman, INF/P: Esman is a dual-threat prospect who torched Michigan high school softball and is ranked around #50 nationally by the scouting sites. Esman hit 21 HR’s as a junior, one shy of the Michigan HS record, and with four pitchers in front of her, I would not expect to see much of her arm this year. That said, given that power, and the fact she hit a near-HR (ended up being a double) in fall ball, if she can hit for power, there may well be a spot for her in the lineup as a freshman. 
 
  • Julia Jimenez, INF: Jimenez is the highest rated prospect in the class, ranked around #20 nationally. Apparently nicknamed “Juju”, Jimenez’s scouting report reads something like Faith Canfield’s, a sure-handed infielder who can hit for average and has a bit (but not a ton) of power in her bat. Due to her high recruiting status, Jimenez has probably the best chance of the bunch to start as a freshman, likely in Canfield’s spot at 2B. 
 
  • Audrey LeClair, OF: LeClair is ranked somewhere between 25th and 50th nationally depending on which site you look at and her scouting report is a jack-of-all-trades outfielder. Athletic, can hit for average, and has a small touch of power. She would seem to be a candidate to start immediately, given a hole in the outfield. 
 
  • Lexi Voss, OF: The other outfielder in the class, Voss is ranked right around LeClair in the national recruiting rankings, but has a different scouting report. Voss, like Esman, is a power hitter, as she hit 19 HR’s as a junior on the Chicago area HS softball circuit, and that power may give her a leg up over LeClair in the race to start in the outfield. 
 
  • Jessica Garmen, C: Garmen was a late addition to the class, so we have very little information on her. However, given her position, I think the expectation is for Garmen to be a developmental catcher, sitting behind Abby Skvarce this year as the #3 catcher, before backing up Hannah Carson her next two years. I wouldn’t expect a ton from Garmen, though then again, Katie Alexander was once an unheralded, late addition to the recruiting class too. 

Roster:

Now we get to go through the returning players for the Michigan Wolverines and how they fit in on the 2020 team:

Meghan Beaubien, LHP (Jr.): No introduction needed here. Meghan Beaubien has been everything Michigan has needed her to be since she arrived in Ann Arbor, an ace from day one. Each year on campus she’s added a signature moment to her legacy, from her near-no hitter against Florida State in 2018 to the impeccable 12 inning shutout with 12 K’s to defeat JMU in Game 1 of the Ann Arbor Regional in 2019. Beaubien struggled at times to live up to the expectations after her freshman campaign but she was still an undisputed ace as a sophomore. Now as an upperclassman, it’s time for Beaubien to fulfill her promise, becoming one of the absolute best pitchers in NCAA softball. With a fastball that can touch mid-70s and nasty offspeed stuff, the potential is there. In the words of WCBN Sports legend Morris Fabbri “Beaubien is unhittable when her change is cooking”. If she can be slightly more consistent this season, the sky’s the limit for the southpaw. 

Alex Storako, RHP (So.): Storako was the clear #2 in Michigan’s staff last season, but she was a very solid #2 as a freshman at that. Standing nearly 6’0”, Storako has good strikeout stuff and posted a 2.02 ERA with 190 K’s in 142.1 IP a year ago, and her highlight of the season was no doubt her save to seal the B1G Tournament title with a heroic 7th inning against an excellent Minnesota team. Confidence often seemed to be an issue for Storako in 2019, wavering from periods of terrific pitching and then hard contact against. If Storako can become slightly more consistent in 2020, she could elevate herself into a #2 that earns her more time in postseason settings. 

Hannah Carson, C (So.): Carson got to simmer behind Katie Alexander in 2019 and now it’s go time for the sophomore catcher. Across 34 games and 12 starts last season, Carson hit .296/.381/.481/.862, showing off an ability to hit for both power and average. Her defensive fundamentals look strong and she will likely start almost every game behind the plate this season. Carson was pressed into starting duty against JMU in the Regional after Alexander’s injury and she seemed like she belonged and so of all the holes to replace seniors, catcher is the one I feel the best about. That’s because everything we’ve seen from Carson so far suggests this could be as close to a one-for-one substitution with Alexander as possible, with higher potential too. 

Lou Allan, 1B (Jr.): No player on this roster has been quite a “what if” as Lou Allan. This article hyped her up as a 5-star freshman in the 2018 season. Then a knee injury shortened her freshman year and she never really seemed comfortable. This article hyped her up as a breakout player last year. Then another knee injury held her out for a long while a year ago, before she finally got to show her talent at the end of the year. All of Michigan Softball prayed for a healthy offseason for Lou and according to Carol Hutchins at media day, it seems like Lou has gotten that. Allan has probably the most pure hitting talent on the roster, and her compact frame could allow her to be a power hitter, if she could ever stay healthy. Allan finished the year strong, going 5 for her last 13 and working her way into the starting lineup by the regional. Then in fall ball Allan raked, going 4/8 against very good Kentucky pitching and 5/11 overall in fall play. If she’s healthy, she’s going to start. And also if she’s healthy, she’s probably going to be really good. Please just stay healthy.  

Morgan Overaitis, INF (So.): After watching the Tampa tourney a year ago, I was higher on Morgan Overaitis than I was about almost any other player on the team. She got her chance to start as a freshman the next weekend but proved to not quite be ready for that. Still she lurked as a pinch hitter, hitting a solid .255/.361 and her tendency to smoke the ball whenever she hits is why I’m still very high on Overaitis’s potential. Overaitis hits the ball hard, and she can take walks, two signs of any good hitter. She swatted a home run in fall ball and so this 2020 season is the moment for Overaitis to take off. Expect her to start either in the field or DP and have a breakout sophomore campaign. 

Natalia Rodriguez, SS (Jr.): NatRod had a very solid second season for Michigan, upping her batting average by 50 points and her OBP by 30 points. She remains her usual self: a defensive rock, a consistent slap hitter, and someone willing to use her speed to bunt, steal, and sacrifice. Michigan would love to see her take another step forward offensively this season, but her trademark strong defense is worth her spot as the team’s starting shortstop.

Madison Uden, 3B (Sr.): Uden enters her senior campaign as one of the team’s leaders and Michigan wants to get a great final season out of her. Uden exploded in her first season as a starter in 2018, hitting .357, but that average dropped to .263 last year. While the power improved last season (from 3 HR to 7), the drop in batting average was tough to stomach. If she can put it all together, raising the average back to 2018 level and combining it with the power from last year, she’ll be a star. Expect Uden to start at third for a third straight season. 

Taylor Bump, INF (Jr.): Bump entered Michigan as a prospect hyped with a lot of power and it’s easy to see why given her tall frame, but so far as a Wolverine it’s been a struggle to make contact that has kept her out of the lineup consistently. There were some glimmers of hope this fall though, as she had a big performance against MSU at home with a HR and a couple of runs scored. If someone breaks out late in their career this season a la Nemitz and Sobczak a year ago, my money is on Bump, especially if she can hit for power consistently. 

Lexie Blair, OF (So.): A year ago this article wrote “Michigan freshman with the best chance of starting is Lexie Blair … appears to be a Natalie Peters type: plays good defense, steals bases, and slaps the ball”. That was mostly right. Blair did start, right away in fact, and she never let up. And while I love Natalie Peters, Blair turned out to be so much more than that description, becoming the first freshman in the last 20 years of Michigan Softball history to hit .400 for a season, and she showed surprising power, swatting 6 HR’s. She was a unanimous All-B1G first team selection and a national freshman of the year finalist. How do you follow that up? I’m not honestly sure, but Lexie is the heart and soul of the offense and will be a cornerstone of the team for the next three years. Expect more of the same: great offense, stellar defense, speed, and leadership. Michigan’s star. 

Haley Hoogenraad, OF (Sr.): Hoogenraad was the team’s 2018 breakout player when she filled a hole in the OF vacated by Kelly Christner and is in line to start as a senior again. Her offensive numbers regressed as a junior and Michigan would like to see her get back to close to .300 in batting average. She always provides excellent defense in the OF and with a small bit of power, she remains a respectable piece of the starting lineup. 

Outside of these players, Michigan has a few other bench pieces that we don’t have much to write about. Abby Skvarce remains one of the top pinch-hitting options and is the backup catcher if Hannah Carson is unable to go for a particular game. Gianna Carosone rarely played as a freshman and it’s uncertain if she will have a bigger role this year, especially in a clogged infield. Thaís Gonzalez is likely to be the first candidate to pinch run in all situations but it seems unlikely that she will start in any capacity as a senior. Sarah Schaefer was the third pitcher a year ago, but with blue chip prospect Chandler Dennis now on the roster, she could be hard-pressed for innings this season. (Note: Schaefer is out with injury to begin the season per Carol Hutchins)  

So…. what about the lineup then? 

Based on fall ball and my general feeling on the roster, my guess for the defensive alignment is the following: 

LeClair/Voss                 Blair             Hoogenraad


Uden             NatRod            Jimenez         Allan 

                    Carson 

And in lineup form it is the following: 

1: Lexie Blair, CF 
2: Julia Jimenez, 2B 
3: Lou Allan, 1B 
4: Hannah Carson, C 
5: Morgan Overaitis, DP 
6: Madison Uden, 3B 
7: LeClair/Voss, LF 
8: Haley Hoogenraad, RF
9: Natalia Rodriguez, SS

The Schedule 

The schedule checks in as roughly as difficult as it was a year ago, easier than last season in the non-conference, but substantially harder in conference play. As for the non-conference, Michigan makes its annual trip to the USF tournament in the opening weekend (which WCBN Sports will be covering, as always) and this year faces just Florida and USF in terms of marquee opponents (no Arizona like last year). This season presents no doubt Michigan’s best opportunity to beat the Gators since WCBN Sports started covering the tourney, as the Wolverines are ranked higher than Florida in FloSoftball’s preseason rankings and it’s no surprise to diehard softball watchers, really. Florida was a poor hitting team a year ago (.264 team average) dragged to the Super Regional by the incredible work of ace Kelly Barnhill, who haunted Michigan for four straight years. Now Barnhill is gone, and so is Florida’s best hitter, Amanda Lorenz, meaning the Gators have huge holes to fill. They should still be a solid squad that should host a regional, and they always have terrific talent, but the Florida game is actually a tossup for the first time in years. If Michigan can sweep the Tampa tourney (they’ll be favored over USF), that’s a huge boost. The Wolverines get a rematch with UNC/Louisville in the B1G-ACC tourney the next weekend, and both teams had excellent seasons a year ago, but both also lose some real pieces too. That should be a 3-1 or 4-0 weekend. Over the next three weekends of non-conference play, Michigan will encounter #19 South Carolina, #6 Texas, #1 Washington, and defending national champion, #4 UCLA. This gives Michigan a chance to bolster the strength of schedule and if they can snare a win or two from that group, it would be huge. Otherwise the key is not getting upset by the teams in between, the Iowa States, UCFs, Loyola Marymounts, etc.. 

In conference play, Michigan has a grueling schedule. The B1G has three teams in position to potentially host regionals, with Minnesota and Northwestern being the other two besides the Wolverines. Michigan will host Minnesota and play @Northwestern on consecutive weekends in early April, and those two weeks will decide the regular season champion. Michigan did not see either team a year ago in the regular season, nor did they see Wisconsin, who Michigan will face in Madison in late March. Wisconsin figures to be a solid tourney team yet again, and Michigan also draws archrival Ohio State in late April, another perennial middling tourney team. All things considered, out of the top 4 non-Michigan B1G teams, the Wolverines are getting all four in the regular season for three game sets, when last year they only got one. If Michigan wants another B1G regular season title, they’re gonna have to earn it. 

Final Thoughts and a Prediction

Each year I’ve written this article, I’ve asked two big questions that will define the season. This year I’ve still got two pressing questions: 

1.) Can Michigan avoid stumbling in non-conference play and start the season strong? 

2.) Can Michigan’s offense develop enough power and overall hitting to make the Super Regionals/WCWS? 

For the first question, this could well be the difference between Michigan making the Super Regional or not, since it was last season. Michigan was placed into a brutal regional with JMU simply because they did not take care of business early in the season, particularly in Chapel Hill, as well as other games (South Dakota stands out). Whether the Wolverines can remove those ugly losses will be important for NCAA Tournament seeding, and thus whether they get an easier draw or another difficult one like last season. As a result, the first five weeks of the season are crucial: Michigan needs to win a few marquee games and most importantly stay perfect against teams they’re better than. 

As for question #2, this is always the most important quagmire. Michigan’s offense was substantially better in 2019 than 2018, and it was also clearly better in terms of clutch hitting (B1G Tourney, Regional G2, Nemitz walk off vs IU, Uden walk off vs PSU, etc). Though it wasn’t quite enough in the end to propel Michigan to the supers, it was also in the ballpark of what’s needed to play into June. Now for Michigan the question is whether they can replace those seniors/improve? Carson for Alexander is a swap I feel pretty good about, as is Allan for Sobczak. Both have the potential to be better than the departed senior they’re replacing. Overaitis for Nemitz should be a borderline upgrade as well. Then it comes down to freshmen production, and/or Taylor Bump replacing Canfield and Peters. It will be very hard to replicate either, but if Michigan gets improvement from the other three new starters I just mentioned, as well as improvement from other hitters (Uden, HH, Blair, etc), the offense as a whole could take a step forward. 

So for the season overall, I think it’s reasonable to expect Michigan to make a trip back to the Super Regional for the first time since 2016 this year in 2020. The Wolverines were a play here or there against JMU from reaching it in 2019, and with the entire pitching staff back, a good number of hitters including the team’s most important bat, and adding the #4 recruiting class in the nation, that goal does not seem out of reach. Right now it seems fair to hope for Michigan’s pitching to improve compared to last season with both Beaubien and Storako adding another year under their belt, while the hitting should be roughly even for reasons explained above. That sums out to a narrow overall improvement for the team, but obviously there’s lots of uncertainty with higher upside possible. In a crowded B1G, I’ll say Michigan finishes #2 behind Minnesota but does well enough in the non-conference to get the #12 seed in the NCAA Tourney, where they win the regional but lose in the supers. 
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Miller's Postseason NFL Draft Big Board Big Board 2.0

2/2/2020

0 Comments

 
By: Andrew Miller

TOP 32 OVERALL

  1. Chase Young EDGE, OSU
  2. Joe Burrow QB, LSU
  3. Jerry Jeudy WR, Alabama
  4. Jeffery Okudah CB, OSU
  5. Isaiah Simmons LB, Clemson
  6. Derrick Brown DL, Auburn
  7. AJ Epenesa EDGE, Iowa
  8. Justin Herbert QB, Oregon
  9. Javon Kinlaw DL, South Carolina
  10. CeeDee Lamb WR, Alabama
  11. Jerdrick Wills Jr. OT, Alabama
  12. Tristan Wirfs OT, Iowa
  13. Tua Tagovailoa QB, Alabama
  14. Kenneth Murray LB, Oklahoma
  15. Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
  16. Tee Higgins WR, Clemson
  17. K’Lavon Chaisson EDGE, LSU
  18. Grant Delpit S, LSU
  19. D’Andre Swift RB, Georgia
  20. Henry Ruggs III WR, Alabama
  21. CJ Henderson CB, Florida
  22. Jonathan Taylor RB, Wisconsin
  23. Patrick Queen LB, LSU
  24. Mekhi Becton OT, Louisville
  25. Josh Jones OT, Houston
  26. Laviska Shenault WR, Colorado 
  27. Xavier McKinney S, Alabama
  28. Andrew Thomas OT, Georgia
  29. JK Dobbins RB, OSU
  30. Yetur Gross-Matus EDGE, PSU
  31. Justin Jefferson WR, LSU
  32. Kristian Fulton CB, LSU


QUARTERBACKS
    
    Best Accuracy: Joe Burrow, LSU
    Best Arm: Jacob Eason, Washington
    Best Movement in the Pocket: Joe Burrow, LSU
    Best Runner: Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
    Best Scrambler: Justin Herbert, Oregon
    Best Throw on the Run: Justin Herbert 
    Biggest Riser: Jordan Love, Utah State
    Biggest Faller: Jake Fromm, Georgia
    Biggest Question Mark: Jake Fromm, Georgia (Downfield Throwing)
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Justin Herbert, Oregon

  1. Joe Burrow, LSU
  2. Justin Herbert, Oregon
  3. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
  4. Jordan Love, Utah State
  5. Jacob Eason, Washington
  6. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
  7. Jake Fromm, Georgia
  8. Bryce Perkins, Virginia
  9. Anthony Gordon, Washington State
  10. Cole McDonald, Hawaii
  11. Steven Montez, Colorado 
  12. Nate Stanley, Iowa
  13. Tyler Huntley, Utah
  14. James Morgan, FIU
  15. Jake Lutton, Oregon State
  16. Shea Patterson, Michigan

RUNNING BACKS
    
    Best Speed: JK Dobbins, OSU
    Best Vision: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin 
    Best Power: AJ Dillon, Boston College
    Best Receiver: D’Andre Swift, Georgia
    Best Day 1 Player: D’Andre Swift, Georgia
    Biggest Riser: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
    Biggest Faller: AJ Dillon Boston College
    Biggest Question Mark: Cam Akers, FSU
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Lamical Perine, Florida

  1. D’Andre Swift, Georgia 
  2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
  3. JK Dobbins, OSU
  4. Cam Akers, FSU 
  5. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
  6. Lamical Perine, Florida
  7. Zach Moss, Utah
  8. Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
  9. Anthony McFarland, Maryland
  10. Kylin Hill, Miss St.
  11. Darrynton Evans, App St
  12. Eno Benjamin, ASU
  13. Trey Sermon, Oklahoma
  14. AJ Dillon, Boston College
  15. Joshua Kelley, UCLA

WIDE RECEIVERS
 
    Best Speed: Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
    Best Hands: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
    Best Route Runner: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
    Best RAC Ability: Jerry Jeduy, Alabama
    Best Day 1 Player: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
    Biggest Riser: Brandon Aiyuk, ASU
    Biggest Faller: Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma St.
    Biggest Question Mark: Henry Ruggs III (injury)
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan

  1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
  2. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
  3. Tee Higgins, Clemson
  4. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
  5. Laviska Shenault, Colorado 
  6. Justin Jefferson, LSU
  7. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
  8. Brandon Aiyuk, ASU
  9. KJ Hammler, PSU
  10. Michael Pittman, USC
  11. Collin Johnson, Texas
  12. Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
  13. Jalen Raegor, TCU
  14. Van Jefferson, Florida
  15. Denzel Mims, Baylor 
  16. Gabriel Davis, UCF
  17. Tylan Wallace, OK St
  18. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina

TIGHT ENDS
    
    Best Blocker: Colby Parkinson, Stanford
    Best Route Runner: Hunter Bryant, Washington 
    Best Hands: Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
    Most Versatile: Hunter Bryant, Washington
    Best Speed: Hunter Bryant, Washington
    Biggest Riser: Thaddeus Moss, LSU
    Biggest Faller: Devin Asiasi, UCLA
    Biggest Question Mark: Harrison Bryant, FAU
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Cole Kmet, Notre Dame

  1. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
  2. Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
  3. Hunter Bryant, Washington
  4. Colby Parkinson, Stanford
  5. Albert Okwuegbunam, Mizzou
  6. Thaddeus Moss, LSU
  7. Harrison Bryant, FAU
  8. Jared Pinkey, Vanderbilt
  9. Adam Trautman. Dayton
  10. Sean McKeon, Michigan


OFFENSIVE TACKLES
    
    Best Run Blocker: Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
    Best Pass Blocker: Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama 
    Best Day 1 Starter: Tristan Wirfs, Iowa 
    Biggest Riser: Mekhi Becton, Louisville 
    Biggest Faller: Alaric Jackson, Iowa
    Biggest Question Mark: Trey Adams, Washington
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Matt Peart, UConn

  1. Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
  2. Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
  3. Josh Jones, Houston
  4. Mekhi Becton, Louisville
  5. Andrew Thomas, Georgia
  6. Matt Peart, Uconn
  7. Austin Jackson, USC
  8. Isiah Wilson, Georgia
  9. Prince Tega Wanagho, Auburn
  10. Alaric Jackson, Iowa
  11. Jack Driscoll, Auburn
  12. Lucas Niang, Washington 
  13. Trey Adams, Washington

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

    Best Run Blocker: Tyler Biadsz, Wisconsin
    Best Pass Blocker: Nick Harris, Washington
    Best Center: Tyler Biadsz, Wisconsin

    Best Guard: John Simpson, Clemson
    Best Day 1 Starter: Tyler Biadsz, Wisconsin 
    Biggest Riser: Nick Harris, Washington
    Biggest Faller: Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame
    Biggest Question Mark: John Runyan Jr., Michigan
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Ben Bredeson, Michigan

  1. Tyler Biadsz, Wisconsin
  2. John Simpson, Clemson
  3. Ceaser Ruiz, Michigan
  4. Ben Bredeson, Michigan
  5. Lloyd Cushenberry III
  6. Nick Harris, Washington
  7. Trey Smith, Tennessee
  8. Shane Lemiuex, Oregon
  9. Matt Hennessy, Temple
  10. Damien Lewis, LSU
  11. Jake Hanson, Oregon
  12. Logan Stenberg. Kentucky
  13. Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame
  14. John Runyan Jr., Michigan
  15. Jake Hanson, Oregon

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE

    Best Nose Tackle: Leki Fotu, Utah
    Best 3-4 End: Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
    Best 4-3 Tackle: Derrick Brown, Auburn
    Best Pass-Rusher: Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
    Best Run Stuffer: Raekwon Davis, Alabama
    Best Power: Derrick Brown, Auburn
    Best Day 1 Starter: Derrick Brown, Auburn 
    Biggest Riser: Jordan Elliott, Mizzou
    Biggest Faller: Marvin Wilson, FSU
    Biggest Question Mark: Nick Coe, Auburn
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

  1. Derrick Brown, Auburn
  2. Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina 
  3. Raekwon Davis, Alabama
  4. Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
  5. Jordan Elliott, Mizzou
  6. Marlon Davidson, Auburn
  7. Ross Blackcock, TCU
  8. Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
  9. Nick Coe, Auburn
  10. Leki Fotu, Utah
  11.  Marvin Wilson, FSU
  12. Rashard Lawrence, LSU
  13. Labryan Ray, Alabama

EDGE RUSHER

    Best 4-3 End: Chase Young, OSU
    Best 3-4 Linebacker: K'Lavon Chaisson 
    Best Power: AJ Epenesa, Iowa
    Best Speed: Chase Young, OSU
    Best Day 1 Starter Chase Young, OSU
    Biggest Riser: Curtis Weaver, Boise State
    Biggest Faller: Trevon Hill, Miami
    Biggest Question Mark: Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Josh Uche, Michigan

  1. Chase Young, OSU
  2. AJ Epenesa, Iowa
  3. K’Lavon Chaison, LSU
  4. Yetur Gross-Matus, PSU
  5. Terrell Lewis, Alabama
  6. Curtis Weaver, Boise State
  7. Josh Uche, Michigan
  8. Zach Baun, Wisconsin
  9. Julian Okwarwa, Notre Dame
  10. Bradley Anae, Utah
  11. Kenny Willikes, Michigan St.
  12. Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
  13. Jabari Zuniga, Florida​

LINEBACKERS

    Best in Coverage: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
    Best Middle Linebacker: Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
    Best Outside Linebacker: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
    Best Tackler: Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
Best Day 1 Starter: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
Biggest Riser: Patrick Queen, LSU
Biggest Faller: Khaleke Hudson, Michigan
Biggest Question Mark: Evan Weaver, California
Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma

  1. Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
  2. Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
  3. Patrick Queen, LSU
  4. Jacob Phillips, LSU
  5. Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech
  6. Monty Rice, Georgia
  7. Malik Harrison, OSU
  8. Evan Weaver, CaliforniaT
  9. Troy Dye, Oregon
  10. Joe Bachie, Michigan State
  11. David Woodward, Utah State
  12. Markus Bailey, Purdue

CORNERBACKS

    Best In Coverage: Jeffery Okudah, OSU
    Best Press Corner CJ Henderson, Florida
    Best Man Corner: Jeffery Okudah, OSU
    Best Zone Corner: Paulson Adebo, Stanford
    Best Slot Corner: Jeff Gladney, TCU
    Best Speed: Trevon Diggs, Alabama
    Best Day 1 Starter: Jeffery Okudah, OSU
    Biggest Riser: Shaun Wade, OSU
    Biggest Faller: AJ Terrell, Clemson
    Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Shaun Wade, OSU

  1. Jeffery Okudah, OSU
  2. CJ Henderson, Florida
  3. Kristian Fulton, LSU
  4. Trevon Diggs, Alabama
  5. Shaun Wade, OSU
  6. Bryce Hall, Virginia​
  7. Jeff Gladney, TCU
  8. Jaylon Johnson, Utah
  9. AJ Terrell, Clemson
  10. J Geen, Oklahoma State
  11. Damon Arnette, OSU
  12. Lamar Jackson, Nebraska

SAFETIES 
    
    Best in Coverage: Xavier McKinney, Alabama
    Best Center Fielder: Grant Delpit, LSU
    Best Tackler: Ashtyn Davis, California
    Best Speed: Richard LeCounte, Georgia
    Best Day 1 Starter: Grant Delpit, LSU
    Biggest Riser: Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Ryne
    Biggest Faller: Shyheim Carter, Alabama
   
Andrew Miller’s Man Crush Award: Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
  1. Grant Delpit, LSU
  2. Xavier McKinney, Alabama
  3. Ashtyn Davis, California
  4. Richard LeCounte, Georgia 
  5. Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
  6. Antoine Winfield Jr. Minnesota
  7. Brandon Jones, Texas
  8. Julian Blackmon, Utah
  9. Antoine Brooks Jr. Maryland
  10. Jordan Fuller, OSU
  11. Hamsah Nasirildeen, FSU
  12. Reggie Flloyd, Va Tech
  13. Josh Metellus, Michigan
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