XFALpha Podcast Notes - AFC South Draft

New episode where we conclude our draft breakdown with the AFC South, talk a little Saved by the Bell and conclude Jonah's top 50 states. My notes and download links are below.

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AFC South

Houston Texans

Round 2 (40): DI Ross Blacklock, TCU - Smaller defensive tackle who showed no burst at the combine and didn’t produce much in college. I have trouble getting excited for something like this. 

Round 3 (90): EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Florida - There’s stories out there that they thought that they had a trade with Detroit worked out where the Lions would get Greenard, but then the trade didn’t go through, so they were stuck with Greenard. Bill O’Brien rules. 

Round 4 (126): OT Charlie Heck, UNC

Round 4 (141): CB John Reid, Penn State

Round 5 (171): WR Isaiah Coulter, Rhode Island

Undrafted - Auzoyah Alufohai - West Georgia defensive tackle that came from Nigeria before moving to Malaysia before moving to the States, getting put in the wrong grade, having to play catch up his whole time in high school and not being eligible for sports until his senior year. He’s raw, but hey, it’s something interesting.

Indianapolis Colts

Round 2 (34): WR Michael Pittman Jr., USC - Big receiver with NFL bloodlines. Possibly some Vincent Jackson to his game.

Round 2 (41): RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - Taylor is a beast. He averaged 2000 yards rushing over three years in college. That’s beyond incredible. When he runs, people don’t want to tackle him. He doesn’t look like he should be fast, but when he gets to the open field, the man is gone. He proved that by testing out very well at the combine. I think his receiving skills are a little questionable, but for purely running the ball, I don’t think you can do better than Taylor.

Round 3 (85): S Julian Blackmon, Utah

Round 4 (122): QB Jacob Eason, Washington - Big arm, but not that accurate and can’t handle pressure. That shouldn’t harm him in the NFL.

Round 5 (149): IOL Danny Pinter, Ball State

Round 6 (193): DI Robert Windsor, Penn State

Round 6 (211): CB Isaiah Rodgers, UMass

Round 6 (212): WR Dezmon Patmon, Washington State

Round 6 (213): LB Jordan Glasgow, Michigan

Undrafted - Rodrigo Blankenship - Georgia’s kicker who won the Lou Groza award. He is very accurate without a huge leg. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Round 1 (9): CB CJ Henderson, Florida - I never really bought into Henderson, good physical tools but a tendency to give up some big plays with 5 plays over 40 yards this past season. 

Round 1 (20): EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU - He blew up this past season with 6.5 sacks. Wait a minute, that’s not too good. Tough for me to get excited about this one even with good physical tools.

Round 2 (42): WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado - Love, love, love. Can do it all. Outside receiving, slot receiving, running back. He’s so dangerous with the ball in his hands, he has excellent technique catching it. If he’s healthy, this is a guaranteed stud. 

Round 3 (73): DI Davon Hamilton, Ohio State

Round 4 (116): OT Ben Bartch, St. John’s - Stud at the D3 level who showed he was legit at the Senior Bowl. 

Round 4 (137): CB Josiah Scott, Michigan State

Round 4 (140): LB Shaq Quarterman, Miami (Fla.)

Round 5 (157): S Daniel Thomas, Auburn

Round 5 (165): WR Collin Johnson, Texas

Round 6 (189): QB Jake Luton, Oregon State - He’s very tall. 

Round 6 (206): TE Tyler Davis, Georgia Tech

Round 7 (223): CB Chris Claybrooks, Memphis

Undrafted - J.R. Reed - Three year starter at safety for Georgia so you could do worse as an undrafted free agent.

Tennessee Titans

Round 1 (29): T Isaiah Wilson, Georgia - Georgia’s second best tackle who is huge at 6’6” 350 pounds and fairly explosive as well, but more of a run blocker than a pass protector.

Round 2 (61): CB Kristian Fulton, LSU - Really fell down draft boards because he was teammates with Derek Stingley Jr. so he was clearly only the second best corner on his team, but he also may have been the second best corner in this draft.

Round 3 (93): RB Darrynton Evans, App State - Derrick Henry provides the power, Evans provides the speed.

Round 5 (174): Edge Larrell Murchison, NC State

Round 7 (224): QB Cole McDonald, Hawaii - Good athlete who can sling the ball, but is getting Jameis Winston comparisons for his questionable decision making. Sign me up.

Round 7 (243): CB Chris Jackson, Marshall

Undrafted - Nick Westbrook - Wide receiver out of Indiana who was good his sophomore season and then stopped producing as Indiana’s quarterback situation got laughably bad. 

XFAlpha Breaks Down the NFC South Draft

Another week, and another draft breakdown. We get right into things on the NFC South before hitting up some state talk, and finishing up with the weird media that the pandemic is causing us to consume. 

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NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Round 1 (16): CB A.J. Terrell, Clemson - Big corner with good athleticism who has played against the best but got lit up by Ja’Marr Chase which hurt his draft stock. 

Round 2 (47): DI Marlon Davidson, Auburn - Decent potential as a three-technique defensive tackle. 

Round 3 (78): C Matt Hennessey, Temple

Round 4 (119): LB Mykal Walker, Fresno State

Round 4 (134): S Jaylinn Hawkins, Cal

Round 7 (228): P Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse

Undrafted: Rojesterman Ferris II - Cornerback out of Hawaii who has had one interception in each of his four years in college, but his one in his senior year, he returned 100 yards for a touchdown. 

Carolina Panthers

Round 1 (7): DI Derrick Brown, Auburn - An absolute monster in college, but he’s more of a run stopper than a guy who is going to get a ton of sacks from the interior. It’s a safe pick, but I don’t see big upside with Brown.

Round 2 (38): Edge Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State - Never had a 10-sack season but had 20 tackles for loss during his sophomore year. It seemed like he would break out last season, but his numbers were about the same and it kept people wanting more. Has the athleticism, needs more moves.

Round 2 (64): S Jeremy Chinn, SIU - An absolute freak of an athlete, but reminds me of Taylor Mays. He just doesn’t have instincts and isn’t a sudden change of direction sort of guy. I do wonder if he could be a big time player at linebacker, because I think he will be exposed at safety.

Round 4 (113): CB Troy Pride Jr., Notre Dame

Round 5 (152): S Kenny Robinson, WVU* - The pride of the XFL. Kind of the opposite of Chinn in that he isn’t a big guy or hitter but has excellent instincts in the back end, and I think he could become an immediate starter.

Round 6 (184): DI Bravvion Roy, Baylor

Round 7 (221): CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver, FIU

Undrafted: Chris Orr - Linebacker out of Wisconsin who struggled with injuries throughout his career but had 11.5 sacks last season. How was this guy not drafted? 

New Orleans Saints

Round 1 (24): IOL Cesar Ruiz, Michigan - The Saints love interior linemen, and Ruiz was seen as the best. Maybe it was an overdraft, but they got the guy they wanted so I have no issues.

Round 3 (74): LB Zack Baun, Wisconsin - Not a great athlete but super productive last season with 12.5 sacks. Some people saw him as a borderline first rounder going into the draft so for the Saints to get him here is great value.

Round 3 (105): TE Adam Trautman, Dayton - Another great value for the Saints. Small school guy but might be the best tight end in the class. Showed that he could play with higher competition when he did very well at the Senior Bowl.

Round 7 (240): QB Tommy Stevens, Mississippi State - Will Tommy Stevens have to join the #MeToo movement? He told the Saints no that he wouldn’t sign with them as an undrafted free agent because he committed to the Panthers who were offering more money; the Saints increased their offer, and he still said he would honor his commitment to Carolina, so they traded to get a pick so they could take him, giving him no choice in the matter. No means no, Sean Payton.

Undrafted: Calvin Throckmorton - Offensive lineman out of Oregon

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 1 (13): T Tristan Wirfs, Iowa - Former high school state wrestling champion that is a freak of an athlete and freakishly strong. Has a few technique issues to clean up, but with his strength and movement skills, he might have the highest ceiling of any lineman in the draft while also bringing an incredibly high floor. A no brainer pick for Tampa.

Round 2 (45): S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota - Great instincts and a guy that just makes plays. Struggles with injuries, but if he’s healthy, he’s going to cause havoc in the secondary while likely being below average against the run. 

Round 3 (76): RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt - Was solid for Vanderbilt, but not a great enough athlete to get me excited.

Round 5 (161): WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota - The guy just consistently produced in college. Struggles a bit with drops, but could always get separation. Maybe not a great athlete but should be able to do damage in the slot. 

Round 6 (194): DI Khalil Davis, Nebraska

Round 7 (241): LB Chappelle Russell, Temple

Round 7 (245): RB Raymond Calais, Louisiana

Undrafted: Parnell Motley - A three-year starter at cornerback at Oklahoma.

XFALpha Breaks Down the NFC East Draft

Another week and another division goes by as we go deep on the NFC East Draft. Also, we go over our top-10 two-sport athletes of all-time, and I make two controversial cases, although I stand by both of them. Finally, we end the episode with Jonah's 26-30th best states, and his list continues to be garbage, but at least I got to talk about a state that is near and dear to my heart.

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LeBron saying he would have liked to play for the Cowboys.

Two-sport athlete 

Must have gone pro or pro equivalent (Olympics, world championships, etc.). Just college doesn’t count - sorry, Jim Brown.

Two sports must be distinct

Michael Phelps doing freestyle and backstroke doesn’t count. And neither does Henry Cejudo winning a gold medal in wrestling and two UFC belts. Finally, sprinting does not count as a second sport.

More important to excel in two sports than just dominate in one and dabble in another so Walter Payton’s single Trans-Am race does not put him on this list for two-sport greatness.

Finally, and maybe most disappointingly, pro wrestling does not count as a second sport

1. Deion Sanders - Maybe the greatest cornerback ever. Also, his baseball career was pretty damn impressive for a part-timer. In basically half a season worth of at bats, he led the league in triples with 14. He also nearly slugged .500 that season so it’s not like he was a total slap hitter.
2. Stephen Neal - World Champion Heavyweight Wrestler in 1999 and nine years as an above average guard. Also had a 27 yard kickoff return.
3. Herschel Walker - Three-sport athlete with MMA and olympic-level bobsled in 1992. He was so good for the Cowboys that the Vikings decided to build a dynasty for Dallas in order to get him.
4. Bo Jackson - Baseball and football - not enough of a track record - Never had 1000 yards and his highest touchdown total was 5. He retired when he was 28, Barry Sanders was 30. People always wonder what Bo could have done if healthy, but it was more what Bo could have done had he had a normal path to the NFL and not held out so he didn’t have to play for the Bucs. Good baseball player but struggled with average due to high strikeouts.
5. Brian Jordan - three years with the Falcons and a really good baseball player with a fifteen year career. 
6. Carlton Haselrig - All-pro offesnive lineman, 3-time NCAA Champion and competed internationally but his only real success was at the junior level so he switched to football instead of trying to topple Bruce Baumgartner.
7. Ed Too Tall Jones - Hall of Fame defensive lineman and 6-0 as a boxer.but only fought one legit opponent who may have knocked him out had he not gotten ammonia after being knocked to the mat. Beat up five cans.
8. Danny Ainge - Three-year baseball career along with 15 years in basketball.
9. Marquise Goodwin - Olympic long jumper / NFL Wide Receiver. 
10. Tom Candiotti - Hall of Fame bowler (celebrity wing) and knuckleball pitcher

Jim Thorpe - anybody could play pro football back then, and his Olympics win, although impressive was against 28 nations, and like a quarter of the athletes were from Sweden. 

Babe Didrikson Zaharias - Again, lack of competition, also I’m not going to call golf a sport.

NFC East

Dallas - Damnit, it’s great

1st Round - CeeDee Lamb - Lamb gets a ton of DeAndre Hopkins comparisons, which I think is a tad lofty, but most had him as the best receiver in the class, and they not only were able to get him but prevent a division rival that badly needed receiving help from getting him. He averaged over 20 yards per catch and had 14 touchdowns so there’s a lot to like there.

2nd Round - Trevon Diggs - I like him, Jonah loves him. Big and fast at cornerback and good enough to play for Alabama.

3rd Round - Neville Gallimore - Big name defensive tackle from Oklahoma who didn’t really produce much and isn’t that great of an athlete. I don’t see him making a big impact. 

4th Round - Tyler Biadasz - Offensive lineman from Wisconsin, usually a pretty good decision.

5th Round - Bradlee Anai - 13 sacks for Utah last season, and even if he’s not a great athlete, I’ll take a chance in the fifth round. 

Undrafted - Azur Kamara - Kansas edge rusher - Good speed and explosiveness, can’t change directions, not related to Alvin. 

New York Giants - A whole lot of meh.

Round 1 (4): T Andrew Thomas, Georgia - Even though Thomas had fell to fourth on most people’s boards for offensive tackles, there wasn’t much separating any of them. Had Wirfs and Becton not gotten so much love, Thomas would have gotten a lot of credit for his numbers at hte combine which were very good, but not blow your mind amazing. You would have loved to see them trade back and pick up some draft capital, but that trade may not have been there. 

Round 2 (36): S Xavier McKinney, Alabama - Considred the best safety in the class, out of Alabama, which has done fairly well producing guys in the secondary. 

Round 3 (99): T Matt Peart, Connecticut

Round 4 (110): CB Darnay Holmes, UCLA

Round 5 (150): IOL Shane Lemieux, Oregon

Round 6 (183): LB Cam Brown, Penn State

Round 7 (218): Edge Carter Coughlin, Minnesota

Round 7 (238): LB TJ Brunson, South Carolina

Round 7 (247): CB Chris Williamson, Minnesota

Round 7 (255): LB Tae Crowder, Georgia

Undrafted - Case Cookus - A quarterback out of Northern Arizona. 

Philadelphia Eagles - Hurts so good?

Round 1 (21): WR Jalen Reagor, TCU - Reagor is an explosive athlete that played with poor quarterbacks at TCU so there could be some big time upside with this pick. 

Round 2 (53): QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma - Explosive athlete at quarterback, but he’s never been a great passer. Still, he scares defenses enough with his legs that things can open up with his arm. I never like win-now teams spending big time draft capital on backup quarterbacks, but this may work as he could provide different looks for defenses to worry about. 

Round 3 (103): LB Davion Taylor, Colorado

Round 4 (127): CB K’Von Wallace, Clemson - Safety for Clemson that can play in the slot immediately and with the addition of Darius Slay earlier in the offseason, the Eagles turned in an extreme weakness in the secondary into a strength. Could play in the slot or replace Malcolm Jenkins. 

Round 4 (145): OT Jack Driscoll, Auburn

Round 5 (168): WR John Hightower, Boise State

Round 6 (196): LB Shaun Bradley, Temple

Round 6 (200): WR Quez Watkins, Southern Mississippi

Round 6 (210): OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn - Very cool name, not sure how good he is. 

Round 7 (233): Edge Casey Toohill, Stanford

Undrafted - Khalil Tate - How was this man not invited to the combine? How was this man not drafted? Khalil Tate was so amazing as a freshman for Arizona. Things got worse and worse, but when a guy shows that much at any point, you take the risk. He still made some incredible plays, and if he finds the right situation, he could provide a team a very fun offensive weapon. I’m more excited for him that Jalen Hurts. 

Washington Redskins - they got Chase young and not a whole lot else.

Round 1 (2): EDGE Chase Young, Ohio State - Chase Young is stupid good. He is a damn game changer.

Round 3 (66): RB Antonio Gibson, Memphis - He’s big and fast but not sure if he’ll actually be a good running back. 

Round 4 (108): OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU - Athletic lineman out of LSU. 

Round 4 (142): WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty - He’s an explosive athlete, but he can’t change directions so more of a big possession receiver as opposed to a big time game breaker even if he can do back flips. 

Round 5 (156): IOL Keith Ismael, San Diego State

Round 5 (162): LB Khaleke Hudson, Michigan

Round 7 (216): S Kamren Curl, Arkansas

Round 7 (229): Edge James Smith-Williams, NC State

Undrafted - Thaddeus Moss - Randy Moss’s kid - but he ain’t Randy Moss. 

XFAlpha Breaks Down the AFC West Draft

Another week, and another conference broken down. This time we show our West coast bias and hit up the AFC West. Also, we talk a little wrestling, and how WWE wasn't that bad, but this was before I am 20 minutes into as I type, and it is very, very bad. Then it's AFC West, followed by Jonah's 21-25th states, and his list just continues to be absolute garbage.

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MITB was this past week, and I’m not sure if I would consider it good, but it at least seemed like they tried. There is a WWE style, and those matches are built for crowds, so even a very good match like McIntyre and Rollins can’t totally hit without one.
As for the MITB match, it at least tried to be something. Asuka is amazing. They realized there’s no crowd so they have to do something different, and they had cameos from people. Did it achieve humor? No, it was not funny, but it was slightly amusing, and at least they tried. WWE has so much talent that just the tiniest bit of effort makes things worth watching, and they continued that on Raw.
Becky is pregnant, and Shayna Baszler threw the most shade imaginable. But most interesting is what it means for Seth Rollins as his character took a hilariously dark turn that has me compelled to keep watching. Will it end with it being announced that Hornswoggle’s baby? Yeah, that sounds about right, but maybe not, and that’s enough to hook me in.
The IIconics are back, so you know I’m all about that lifestyle, although nontitle wins are the dumbest shit ever.
Also Charly Caruso dropped the greatest line ever about Edge and Orton having a no-stipulation match. “If this happens, it could be the greatest wrestling match ever.” I have to watch that now.


AFC West
Denver Broncos
Round 1 (15): WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama - Pure route runner that seems to effortlessly create separation. A lot of Amari Cooper comps, but Adam Thielen might be the most fitting.
Round 2 (46): WR KJ Hamler, Penn State - He is very fast and dangerous. He also very can’t catch.
Round 3 (77): CB Michael Ojemudia, Iowa - Cornerback with good length, but he was never a game changer for Iowa. He was good on the outside, but not a shutdown corner. He’s probably more of a depth player than a quality starter.
Round 3 (83): C Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU - I don’t think it’s ever a bad idea to take an interior offensive lineman from a school that set the world on fire on offense this past season.
Round 3 (95): DI McTelvin Agim, Arkansas
Round 4 (118): TE Albert Okuwuegbunam, Missouri - If you reversed his production from freshman to junior seasons, he’s probably a second round pick based on a 4.49 40 at 256 pounds. I think Missouri was just poor at utilizing him, and I think this could be a massive steal. He’s an excellent athlete who gives the Broncos the most athletic tight ends in the league, although there is a lot of overlap in what Albert O and Noah Fant bring to the table.
Round 5 (178): LB Justin Strnad, Wake Forest
Round 6 (181): IOL Netane Muti, Fresno State - Could be a real steal as an interior offensive lineman. Had impressive play at Fresno State, and more importantly 44 bench press reps. Hell yeah.
Round 7 (252): WR Tyrie Cleveland, Florida
Round 7 (254): Edge Derrek Tuzka, NDSU
Undrafted: Riley Neal - Quarterback who wasn’t all that good at Ball State, and then he wasn’t all that good at Vanderbilt. He is 6’6” though.


Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1 (32): RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU - Can hurt you running or catching the ball out of the backfield since he had 55 catches out of the back field. The man is only 5’7” which makes my heart flutter with joy, and most importantly, when you watch LSU, defenders did not want to tackle him. He’s a damn bowling ball and fits the Chiefs offense perfectly.
Round 2 (63): LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State - And I love this pick even more. Willie Gay is an absolute monster at middle linebacker, and it’s stupid he fell this far. He may not have had stats due to academic issues, but this guy can do it all on the field.
Round 3 (96): OT Lucas Niang, TCU
Round 4 (138): S L’Jarius Sneed, LA Tech
Round 5 (177): Edge Mike Danna, Michigan
Round 7 (238): CB Thakarius Keyes, Tulane
Undrafted: Lavert Hill - Cornerback out of Michigan that originally committed to Iowa. Not a full-time starter, but he still managed six interceptions in three years so he has good abilities tracking the ball. Has potential as a nickel.
Shea Patterson - Five-star quarterback who beat out Jordan Ta’amu as a Freshman. He wasn’t very good ever at throwing a football accurately, but that’s neither here nor there.


Las Vegas Raiders
Round 1 (12): WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama - The most Raiders pick possible. This man is speed on speed on speed. He is about as explosive as it gets, and he has the best chance of turning into Tyreek Hill that we have seen in the last few years. Also, unlike many failed speed guys, Ruggs does know how to catch a football.
Round 1 (19): CB Damon Arnette, Ohio State - He’s been the bad corner on Ohio State for 3.5 years after a redshirt. Not athletic, fifth-year senior, and somehow rose up draft boards late in the process because he played an important position for a name program. I’m not a fan.
Round 3 (80): RB Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky - Just watch the fumbled punt and try not to fall in love. He played wide receiver, running back, and quarterback for Kentucky, and he’s probably your best bet to become a Taysom Hill like weapon for an offense. He was maybe the most fun player in college football last year.
Round 3 (81): WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
Round 3 (100): S/LB Tanner Muse, Clemson - He’s a super athlete for a safety, and he’s nearly 230 pounds so at linebacker he’s in some really rarefied air. No clue if he can learn to play linebacker, but physical limitations will not be an issue.
Round 4 (109): IOL John Simpson, Clemson
Round 4 (139): CB Amik Robertson, LA Tech - Just a ballhawking cornerback that backs down from no man. It’s stupid that he fell this far, even with him being undersized. I just can’t foresee a situation where this guy isn’t a productive cornerback that causes some absolute mayhem on the field. He does have limitations, but the floor is so high that this great value.
Undrafted: Madre Hopper - Southern Illinois cornerback whose name translates to Mother Rabbit. That should put some bounce in your step.


Los Angeles Chargers
Round 1 (6): QB Justin Herbert, Oregon - Reach pick that just doesn’t excite me at all. I think his ceiling is a mid-tier quarterback. Good athlete, but him throwing the football just left me completely underwhelmed.
Round 1 (23): LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma - Good athlete, seems like a great person as he seems to use a ton of effort in helping out his three special-needs adopted siblings, but he could be a liability in pass coverage as he just hasn’t developed those skills at all. He’s a tackling machine so he at least has that to fall back on.
Round 4 (112): RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA
Round 5 (151): WR Joe Reed, Virginia
Round 6 (186): S Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
Round 7 (220): WR KJ Hill, Ohio State - Nice pick late as the guy can run routes, and Ohio State has been producing a lot of wide receivers who exceeded expectations once they got into the NFL.
Undrafted: Jeff Cotton - Wide Receiver out of Idaho, just gonna go out on a limb and say that Jonah has some thoughts on this guy.

Darnell Full Mooney Scouting Report

Darnell Mooney probably isn't the best prospect that the Bears acquired in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he might be the most exciting. During his junior season, he ended up with 993 yards on just 48 catches, averaging 20.7 yards per catch. For his career at Tulane, he was still at an incredibly impressive 16.7 yards per catch. That speed is for real as he showed at the combine.

That 4.38 time is very nice and he did very well in the vertical and broad jump as well. He's not a big guy at just 5'10" and 176 pounds, but he does have large hands to help him make catches in traffic. So let's see how that translated to the field by looking at his game against Florida International last season.

I love the footwork at the beginning of this play to immediately make the corner play catch up in his coverage.

The cornerback never has a chance to make any sort of play on the ball after getting turned around at the line of scrimmage. Mooney then makes a good adjustment on the ball and uses good technique to complete the catch.

Adjustments on the ball were not an area where I expected a small speedster to shine, but he does a great job of tracking the ball on this touchdown catch.

He has the defender beat deep, but the ball is underthrown, and he not only adjusts to the ball, but attacks the ball out of the air at the high point to make the catch. Even if the defender had better coverage, it is going to be very tough to stop a receiver who can do that down the field. I'm not saying he's Steve Smith, but the above catch is a very Steve Smith looking play.

He needs to do a bit of refinement on his route running, but he does have some fancy footwork off the line of scrimmage to help him with that. He also was at least a willing blocker, even if it wasn't a strength of his.

For a late fifth round pick, this is tremendous value. He's fast, and he can catch; that already makes him more appealing to me than KJ Hamler who was a second rounder. He can stretch defenses and can at least fill part of the role that Taylor Gabriel has had the last few years. I am very excited to see him in a Bears uniform this season.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern
5th Round - Darnell Mooney - Wide Receiver - Tulane

Can Kindle Vildor Read a Quarterback's Eyes?

Kindle Vildor was the Bears second of three fifth round draft picks. A 5'10" corner out of Georgia Southern, you may be shocked to learn that I knew very little about him before his selection. Still, he has a very intriguing athletic profile.

Only 5'10" but very long arms and big hands. He ran 4.44 40-yard dash and showed incredible strength and explosiveness with his bench press and vertical and broad jumps. Those are all very positive, but it also appears as if he does not have any ability to change directions as shown by his 3-cone and short shuttle.

Statistically, nothing stands out as he managed nine interceptions over his three years as a starter. Not bad, but nothing special. So it was time to check out his game against LSU to get a better idea of him as a prospect.

On the negative side, he gets beat fairly easily on this touchdown catch.

From his reaction, he may have thought he had help over the middle of the field, but it may have just been that his team was going down 42-3, and it wasn't yet halftime.

Um, and that was really about it. That's actually good news. LSU just didn't try to attack him. He did get a pass interference call against him when he got a tad overzealous near the end zone, but that wasn't too worrisome. When it came down to LSU attacking, they looked at other places rather than going at Vildor which is about as good of a compliment as a guy can get.

Overall, I think there are some interesting athletic traits that he showed at the combine, but for a shorter corner, his lack of agility in changing directions will likely be a major hindrance to his success and is probably the big reason that he was available in the fifth round.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern

XFAlpha Podcast Notes - NFL Draft - Deep Dive Into NFC North

The NFL Draft happened, and considering the XFL disbanded, this is where we might be making that cheddar for the near future. We are going to break it down division-by-division, and considering I am a Bears fan and Jonah stans for the Vikings, we started with the NFC North. There may not be a deeper dive out there.

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NFL Draft - things that stood out?

NFC North Breakdown

Vikings did great

Justin Jefferson was a good get.

A lot of buzz for Jeff Gladney leading up to things.

Ezra Cleveland fell to them when Trent Williams said he would rather have undiagnosed tumors than play in Minnesota.

Cameron Dantzler - Tall and slow.

Kenny Willekes can play. He’s a guy to really watch out for

Nate Stanley, the master of the quarterback sneak, is a strong-armed version of Kirk Cousins. Inconsistent, not mobile, and instead of not beating good teams, he just falls apart against anyone on the road.

But your undrafted free agents SUCKED.

Lions had a draft

Jeff Okudah is a stud. 

D’Andre Swift doesn’t move the needle for me a ton. I think he’s a slight improvement but probably bigger that he can hopefully stay healthier than Kerryon Johnson.

Julian Okwara is too small to hold up at defensive end and wasn’t all that speical in college.

I like Jonah Jackson as a guard prospect.

Great job getting Hunter Bryant as an undrafted free agent as he’ll make a nice #2 tight end. Not athletic enough to be anything more.

Packers were terrible

I was a huge fan of Jordan Love, but it’s a slap in the face to use a first round pick on quarterback with Rodgers there. This draft got them no closer to a Super Bowl.

AJ Dillon is a battering ram, but he’s not a threat at catching the ball, so it’s quite a price to pay for a short-yardage back.

Josiah Deguara was a huge reach and baffling they didn’t take Adam Trautman.

Jon Runyan has the genetics that Jonah loves.

Undrafted - Marc-Antoine Dequoy, out of Montreal, allegedly ran a 4.36 with a cold.

Bears are questionable

Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson were safe picks with limited upside. I’d have been more excited with Chase Claypool or Albert O way later.

Trevis Gipson has some good length and wasn’t used properly at Tulsa, could be a rotational pass rusher.

Watch out for Darnell Mooney out of Tulane, short and fast - 2018 he had nearly 1000 yards on only 48 catches.

Arlington Hambright and Lachavious Simmons

Ledarius Mack - Khalil Mack’s little brother

Ahmad Wagner - 11 pass interference calls on 43 targets. He still needs to grow into tight end but only one year of college football experience after being a bruiser power forward at 6’5” for Iowa.

Jonah States 6-10