The 2018 XFL Mock Draft - Tight Ends

In anticipation of Vince McMahon bringing the fun back to football (more concussions, woohoo!), Lukewarm Jonah and I went back and forth to do an XFL Draft. Instead of breaking this down round by round, we are going to go by position groups. Today, we move on to the big pass catchers with tight ends.

Tight Ends

Jonah: Bucky Hodges, Ladarius Green

Joe: Henry Krieger-Coble, Jace Amaro, Tyrus Thomas

Joe: I had wildly varying strategies with my picks here. First off, I went with a guy who would just be reliable and play well in Henry Krieger-Coble. He is a former Iowa Hawkeye who has bounced around active rosters and practice squads since leaving college. But all Iowa does is produce competent tight ends and competency might make him an MVP candidate in the XFL.

After that, I went with the super productive college player who couldn’t do jack shit in the NFL with Jace Amaro. Considering the space that my receiving corps will be able to create, Amaro should be a threat as a tight end that is split out into the slot to make catches across the middle of the field.

Finally, I went with my first wildcard pick of the draft and selected former Chicago Bull, Tyrus Thomas. Tyrus Thomas, by all accounts, was a bust in the NBA, but just because he wasn’t a great NBA player does not mean that he cannot make a great XFL player. Think about all of the great former basketball players who learned the tight end position. Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham have nothing on the athleticism of Tyrus Thomas. Sure, he’s going to need to add some bulk, but once he does, he will basically be an unstoppable force as he’s 6’10” and can jump through the roof. Can he catch? Not sure, but we’ll figure that part out later. Right now, just give me the freak athlete.

Jonah: I had one guy high on my list for tight end and that is Bucky Hodges. Bucky Hodges was a highly touted tight end going into this year’s draft.  He fell to the Vikings in the 6th round, way later than he was projected.  He’s basically a big athletic receiver and he looked great in the preseason.  He got injured and was waived, put on the Panthers practice squad and then cut.  The guy could be a Jimmy Graham type deep receiving threat so I’ll take him and watch him abuse linebackers and safeties in the XFL.

Ladarius Green has shown that he’s a playmaker in the NFL.  He failed a physical at the start of the year, but obviously he’s fine.  He’s only 27 and he’ll pass an XFL physical and he wants to play football.  Hopefully either he or Hodges can block and I probably should have taken a big blocker of a tight end, but this is the XFL you don’t come to see people block you come to see guys make big plays.

Joe: All I can say is that I don’t have anything to say about your tight ends selections.

Jonah: Well I’ve heard of Jace Amaro so there’s that.  I have also heard of Tyrus Thomas from his basketball playing days, so maybe you found another Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham diamond in the rough who knows?  Your first tight end is from Iowa so I assume he’s a big white guy who can block so there’s that.

Joe: Yep, you nailed it. Outside of Tyrus Thomas finally fulfilling his athletic potential as a split wide tight end, it’s not a very exciting position, so what better way to follow that than to move to the offensive line and “tackle” the offensive tackles. I know you are salivating with anticipation about getting to read about the big nasties.

In case you missed it:

Quarterbacks
Running Backs

Wide Receivers

2016 NFL Draft: Most Underrated Prospects

I've been busy with a variety of things lately, so I haven't produced any NFL draft related content, but I figured I should get something out before the first round happens tonight. I have some hot takes, as there are a lot of guys that I feel are greatly underrated in this draft. I will go position-by-position to show who are the most underrated prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Quarterback: Cardale Jones

Had Cardale Jones come out last year after three games as a starting quarterback (and a National Title), he would have likely been a first round pick. He then proceeded to go undefeated as a starter this past season as well. Yes, he got benched because J.T. Barrett fits the scheme better, but it's not like he was having any monumental struggles, and he was never really given the opportunity to make adjustments. It seems like most people see three quarterbacks in the first round. Is there any reason Cardale Jones shouldn't be the fourth QB off the board? I mean, couldn't Cardale done at least as well as Paxton Lynch in Memphis? And, come to think of it, would North Dakota State lost anything by having Jones instead of Carson Wentz? I sure don't think so. All quarterbacks are risks, but Jones has the type of talent that makes that risk worth it.

Honorable mention to his total opposite, Vernon Adams Jr. who is small, quick, and super accurate on his throws. The guy just makes plays, and after a slow start at Oregon, he really put it together and was one of the best quarterbacks in college football by the end of the season. I know he's small, but he's worth taking a flyer on in the seventh round.

Running Back: Keith Marshall

Let's remember something about Keith Marshall. During his freshman year, there was no real difference seen between him and Todd Gurley. Now he has struggled with injuries since then and never really got things going, but his athleticism is still there, and I think he just needed an extra year to fully recover from his injuries. Although he's a different style back, he reminds me of Frank Gore as a guy who couldn't stay healthy in college, but if he does stay healthy in the pros, he's going to be one hell of a late round pick for somebody.

Honorable mention to Jordan Howard who runs through contact better than just about any back in this class. He absolutely crushed Iowa, which was sad for me but also super impressive to watch. He's big, fast, and strong. Indiana played to those strengths, so I'm not sure about the vision, but he has all of the physical tools to be successful.

Extra honorable mention to Daniel Lasco who was the best running back at the Shrine Game. I honestly didn't see much from him outside of that exhibition, but that has to count for something.

Wide Receiver: Tyler Boyd

Tyler Boyd just makes plays. He finds ways to get open, and he knows how to catch the football. Let's not make this any more complicated than it has to be. Boyd will be a good pro.

Honorable mention to Corey Coleman who is a damn freak. 

Yeah, I want that guy.

Tight End: Henry Krieger-Coble

Is this a homer pick? Hell yeah. Will it be my last? Hell no. Also, HKC had a nice ability to get open and he has good hands. He's not the most athletic guy, but I think he offers enough to be a solid #2 tight end.

Offensive Tackle: Joe Haeg

He played with Carson Wentz. I figure he must have done a good job of protecting him.

Offensive Guard: Jordan Walsh

He was really good for Iowa last year. This isn't just a homer pick. He could be a quality starter.

Center: Austin Blythe

Yes, just about everything that could go right did for Iowa so I have a soft spot for, like, everyone. Still, this is the type of guy that I like. He's undersized, which is worrisome with the rise of nose tackles, but he consistently played well against everybody that stepped in front of him, and although size may be a concern, he's worth taking a chance on.

Defensive End: Drew Ott

Okay, so not everything went well for Iowa, but let's not forget how great Drew Ott was before he got injured. This dude massacred Iowa's offensive line to the point where I thought Iowa would be garbage this year, and Kirk Ferentz could no longer turn under-recruited players into absolute studs. He's the best player Iowa has in this draft class, and he's going to make a team very happy. The dude eats raw eggs and offensive linemen for fun. He gonna get after it.

Defensive Tackle: Javon Hargrave

Hargrave was another guy who impressed at the Shrine Game, and I think he's going to be one of the standouts from a small school that surprises people.

Linebacker: Joe Schobert

Joe Schobert is one of those guys that just makes plays. He's not the most athletically gifted, but he makes up for it with his instincts. It's probably going to be stupid how far he falls, and he's going to make teams feel stupid when he has a 10-year career as a starting linebacker.

Honorable mention to Scooby Wright III who basically does the same stuff as Schobert. Like he had Heisman hype coming into this past season. People forget that. I didn't. Scooby has the skills to solve any offensive mystery.

And another honorable mention to Jaylon Smith. I'm not sure how toast that knee is, although some have compared his injuries to Marcus Lattimore which is...not ideal. Still, how far can you let a talent like this drop? I mean, he was seen at worst as a top-10 pick and maybe worthy of being in the top-5. If he's there in the third round, I'd have a really hard time passing on him when the guy has that much upside.

Final honorable mention to Eric Striker, because Oklahoma linebackers try to play the game like The Ultimate Warrior, so I ain't messing with that.

Cornerback: Kendall Fuller

An injury is the only reason he really fell. He was seen as the best cornerback in his family, and his brother was drafted in the middle of the first round. I mean, yeah, as a Bears fan, I am aware that the pick hasn't quite turned out all that well, but corners mature later than most other positions, so it's certainly not hopeless. Had he not gotten hurt, he would have easily been a first round pick, yet I haven't seen anybody with him higher than mid-second. Hell, if Kyle had only been a second round pick, Bears fans probably wouldn't be nearly as worried about him, so getting the more talented Fuller at that point should be a steal.

Honorable mention to Zack Sanchez who made a bunch of plays early on in 2014 and got on everyone's radar, and then fell off that radar. I mean, he was never as great as the hype, but he's also not not talented.

Safety: Karl Joseph

Karl Joseph gets interceptions and hits people hard enough for their grandma to be in pain. Karl Joseph is awesome, and I am super bummed that he is getting a lot of late hype and won't be there for the Bears in the second round. Love Karl Joseph, but more importantly, fear Karl Joseph.

Honorable mention to Jordan Lomax, because he's a Hawkeye, and I gots to represent. I mean, he could be a special teams player, maybe, possibly...sort of?

Kicker: Marshall Koehn

Koehn is able. I mean, even if he isn't a great kicker, that sort of marketing slogan is enough to justify using a pick on him. If teams could expand rosters to like 75 and have a kicker who specialized in 50+ yard field goals, he would have a great future in the NFL. Anything inside of that, and uh, it goes down quickly, although he may fare better with the longer distance extra points than he did with the super close college ones. Still, Koehn is able.

And that wraps things up. The draft starts tonight. I can't wait to see how the Bears screw it up.