RC's Daily Notes 2026: For the Week of 04/20-4/26 (SUN. Draft Day-3 Draft Trades Analysis and more)

: R.C. Fischer; FreeView; 26 April 2026

RC's daily streaming notes on football, and other, things going on this week...

4/26 SUN

(8:00amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- The first wave of DRD rankings will hit somewhere in the 2nd-half of the day today. There may be two posts...

1) An initial setup of the top 10-25 with 5 player/pick commentaries.

2) I plan to end the day with the top 25-50 (all on offense, IDP will join on Monday) with approx. 10 player/pick commentaries.

We’ll expand the DRD rankings to an approx. top 100 on Monday...then working towards top 150, then top 200, then top 250, then top 300+ with commentaries added each day of the week next week.

-- NFL DRAFT TEAM GRADES...will be out probably on Monday. Sunday best case. Tuesday is the worst case. The DRD boards are the priority.

Our draft grades are nothing like the mainstream ones where everyone gets an A or B or C (although there might be actual Ds from the paid-by-thing-they-have-to-critique because this was the stupidest draft on execution that I’ve ever seen in a draft in my career). We use calculations/algorithms to put real grades on the teams based on our perfect draft criteria and average draft criteria, etc., blended into a grade based on our valuations. There will be F grades (gasp)...probably several of them.

-- My post-Draft mock DRD series from the 12 draft spots/5 rounds will start Monday...two or more slots a day to get through all 12 slots by the weekend of 5/2-3 for those first DRDs going off.

-- The NFL Draft impact/changes to the Dynasty rankings...will be working on those all week trying to have the first wave of impacts considered/newly valued by the 5/2-3 weekend as well.

Busy week ahead.

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- DRD valuations/rankings top 300+ board debuts Sunday 4/26 and updates/adds to everyday post NFL Draft week.

-- DRD 5-round Mock Draft, 12-episode series begins Monday 4/27

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. IDP studies trying to get done by end of April.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway (on hold for draft, since we’re this close)

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

-- New coaching staff hire’s analysis series...going through the entire staff...I am working on the framework of how I want to present that. This will be a first ever series (for me) where I go beyond ‘just the new head coaches’. ETA in May/June to start it up.

*HUDDLE REPORT CONTEST RESULTS*

In the Top 100 contest (the prestigious goal for all scouts/analysts):

Xavier Cromartie missed the win (co-win) by 1 point...just behind 2026’s winner Daniel Jeremiah. Congrats to DJ. Congrats to Xavier for his continued excellence.

Xavier continues to sit at #2 overall on the even more coveted 5-year scores (AVG). He’s less than a point behind Todd McShay.

When is ESPN getting XC on their payroll?

Ross Jacobs was 5 players away from the top spot, which was good for a 44(t) finish. Ross is now a part of the Five Timer’s Club among the draft analysts and is #34 on the 5-year board...just ahead of Matt Miller/ESPN, among others.

Link to draft analyst’s Top 100/Huddle standings, participants: https://www.thehuddlereport.com/big-board-5-year

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- Let’s review the NFL trades involving players during the draft. And there were all of three trades done involving an actual player, and none of them splashy or interesting...which just continues the theme that this was without a doubt one of OR the absolute worst executed/strategized NFL Drafts that I’ve ever been a part of in my 15+ years analyzing drafts.

The NFL isn’t getting better, more sophisticated in it’s personnel assessments and strategies -- it’s still the same ol’ frightened-to-make-trades-involving-players-NFL...and all the same old (actually getting radically worse) perplexing draft decisions with all new rifts between head coaches and GMs along with some owners interfering.

It’s the most befuddling run business (the NFL) by a group of people with the least business experience and acumen per million dollars of revenue of any business in America.

All the other sports leagues are making all these interesting and voluminous trades involving real players and selling excess to acquire needs or taking chances on players...all the things you would expect...except NOT the NFL...not ever. The NFL collective barely trades a player for player/s ever...and even actual player trades 99% of the time are involving players of no/low consequence being traded.

With the largest rosters/player counts of any sport...HOW THE HELL is there never any real trades?

Because the GMs are lackey morons there to be the owner-coach liaison/personal assistant for the owner and the head coaches (nor GMs) may have never had a real job in the real business world a day in their entire life. They’ve been pampered and lauded football players most of their lives.

And yet they this sport seemingly can’t get any more popular, but does annually, with money flowing like water...so, why should they change? And they definitely didn’t change this year...unless ‘change’ means running things even worse.

Player Trades (April 25, 2026)

The Raiders moved up to the No. 150 overall pick (Dalton Johnson)

FOR

The Saints received Tyree Wilson and the No. 219 overall pick (TJ Hall).

The Saints buy a free look at a former #7 overall edge rusher (another failed, meaningless, uber-expensive edge rusher). Overall, an inconsequential deal.

Player Trades (April 24, 2026)

The Dallas Cowboys acquire Dee Winters from the San Francisco 49ers

FOR

The 2026 5th-round pick (No. 152 overall) that sent to Denver and picked TE Justin Joly.

SF soured on Winters, which would make me very worried about acquiring him...but it didn’t cost much.

The Philadelphia Eagles acquired Jonathan Greenard and a 2027 7th-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings.

FOR

The Vikings received a 2026 3rd-round pick (No. 98/Jakobe Thomas) and a 2027 3rd-round pick.

By virtue of getting off of an unnecessarily expensive edge rusher, the Vikings win the deal...and they get a hopeful SAF and a nice pick next year. Vikes ‘win’ this deal by virtue of dumping a payroll problem on someone else.

-- A look back at the way the Day-1 trades swaps all worked out in the end...

Round 1 Pick Trades (April 23, 2026)

Dallas received: Pick No. 11 (Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State).

FOR

Miami received: Pick No. 12 (Kadyn Proctor, T, Alabama), Pick No. 177 (Kevin Coleman Jr., WR, Missouri), and Pick No. 180 (Seydou Traore, TE, Mississippi State).

Probably edge to Miami. They get the player they wanted anyway at OL and then two other hopefuls/fillers.

Philadelphia received: Pick No. 20 (Makai Lemon, WR, USC).

FOR

Dallas received: Pick Nos. 23 (Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF), 114 (Devin Moore, CB, Florida), and 137 (LT Overton, DE, Alabama). (Dallas also sent a 2027 7th-rounder to Philly in this deal). Note: Dallas also sent a 2027 7th-rounder to Philly in this deal.

The Eagles kill it here. Three wastes of picks by Dallas on generic things in exchange for one of the top WRs in the draft. Dallas thinks they are so slick with all their trade downs...they are not.

Miami received: Pick Nos. 27 (Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State) and 138 (Kyle Louis).

FOR

San Francisco received: Pick Nos. 30 (Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana — pick was later used by the NY Jets), SF got pick #33 De’Zhaun Stribling and #90 (Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana)

BEST TRADE of the 2026 NFL Draft was done by Miami!

WORST TRADE of the 2026 NFL Draft was done by the 49ers!

Since the 49ers are so absolutely dreadful drafting, they totally wasted this opportunity. Stribling is arguably the 2nd worst/dumbest pick in this draft...and Miami got two good/great players in return. A candidate for worst deal of the year by SF. Embarrassing.

You think NFL Execs are brilliant masterminds with an amazing plan? https://x.com/grantcohn/status/2048160834409697481?s=43

Tennessee received: Pick Nos. 31 (Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn), 69 (Sam Roush, TE, Stanford — pick was later used by Chicago), and 165 (Nick Singleton).

Buffalo received: Pick Nos. 35 (T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson), 66 (Tyler Onyedim, DT, Texas A&M — pick was later used by Denver), and 101 (Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee — pick was later used by Las Vegas).

Basically, these two teams traded picks, then they traded many of those picks...and in the end when you follow it through I don’t think either team got any worth the major efforts. The Raiders did, but not TEN or BUF.

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- Paused for the draft because everything is about the draft.

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://x.com/drclownphd/status/2048069774849216737?s=43

== New Short-Term Daily Series ==

This is gonna be an odd short series but consider it a Public Service Announcement...another PSA story from me this year, and this PSA may be worse than my other PSA (prostate cancer) issue.

My PSA for the next few days will be about...Identity Theft.

Someone made an attempt on me and I’m going to share how it unfolded and my journey into learning about what to do and the nightmare of things I had to do.

Part 1: The Intrusion...

So, before I go to bed every night...I spend 30-60 minutes on my phone. Two primary functions doing that...(1) Catch up on the world news of the day that I might have missed in my football cocoon all day, and (2) Clear all my personal/non-football emails...look for key emails and read them and then possibly send them to myself to deal with the next day.

So, Sunday night I was clearing my emails when I saw a Credit Karma alert...about an inquiry into my credit by some company. I thought ‘that’s odd’...I didn’t recall anything that would trigger that, but I wasn’t immediately thrown/shook by it...until I read the email and saw it was an inquiry from a Credit Card company that I have no association with. Then...it was FREAK OUT TIME.

I wanted to intervene before the inquiry turned into an official account. I was in a frenzy.

The inquiry on my credit report gave the number of the credit card company, so I called and eventually got to their 24-hour fraud alert line and...and to say they were less than helpful would be an understatement. Four transfers/four different phone numbers people from ‘International Call Centers’ gave to me to call. None of them came up with anything useful for my investigation.

I knew I should probably just call in the morning (Monday) when the full staff would be around.

I did a GEMINI research into what to do about a fraud breach... And it came back that I should urgently/primarily check all the three credit reporting agencies and consider freezing my credit.

So, I started to do just that... I had to make online accounts with the three credit bureaus, at 1am...dog tired but heart racing to the point of fear of a heart attack -- the meds I’m on for the cancer fight mess with my heart if I put any strain on it...I thought that was just a concern if I did something physical, but this mental freak out moment was making my heart hurt bad.

As I made accounts with the Big 3 credit places...I started to discover there were a total of five other hard inquiries...four for different credit cards and one for Carvana, but the Carvana one was attempted 4 different times/locations. All of it happening on Sunday 4/19...which is a good day to make a run at someone because who's working full steam at places on a Sunday?

If I was panicked before and my heart was stinging me a bit...once I discovered all these other attempts, my heart was in real pain, I could hardly sleep. I was stuck in the wee hours of the morning Sunday into Monday with this knowledge...knowing I needed to go after it on Monday morning when these places had staff I could talk to. But I did freeze all my credit at 1-2am, so the spigot was at least shut off...but the existing attempts were live wires/active volcanos to deal with.

Advice-to-you #1: The Credit Karma App is free, and I’ve had it for years and it has been very good alerting me to things I knew/was OK with. This was the first problem...and thank God I had them give me an alert or I would have had no idea it was happening.

If you don’t have it already: YOU NEED the FREE Credit Karma App (or equivalent) and you need to get the notifications flowing and you need to take their notifications seriously, just to be sure. It’s the first line of defense-for free.

Tomorrow we’ll pick up tomorrow with Part 2: Monday Morning Phone Call Mania...

------------------------------

Part 2: Monday Morning Phone Call Mania...

So now it was MY job to call all these credit card companies and Carvana all Monday morning...so, I did.

Trying to scout draft prospects, write draft reports, deal with radiation sickness...and call all these corporations in desperation to find out info and stop the bad guys/gals...what a wonderful day.

So, I called every one of the companies to follow up on the ‘Hard Inquires’ (someone applied for credit in my name)

Carvana = Gave me an email to their fraud department. Couldn’t contact them direct. So, I emailed and waited for a response. Credit to them they emailed back quickly for additional info and said they would look into and get back to me.

Two Bank Credit Card companies, bigger names = Transferred to 1-2 other departments/people. No record of anything (apply or actual account)...but I could clearly see there was an application at least. What could I do? They had no info.

Crypto account/credit card = Transferred to 4 different divisions. One person in the chain told me, “Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. We are constantly getting people trying to open up fraudulent accounts.” My heart was about to explode when I found out this was a credit line to buy crypto. No records of anyone with my name/last 4 social. Seriously? I can see the hit/inquiry on my credit!

Credit Bureau = I thought 4 attempts at different Carvana’s was bad. Then I thought the Crypto account thing was really bad. Then when I realized they may have tried to buy my credit report from one of the Big 3, it made me sick. They tried to use my identity info/credentials to buy access to my full credit/everything. Think about the ramifications! Devious/smart on their end. Made a person fighting cancer on a lot of chemically altering meds the most anxious, heart-pounding he’s been since I first got the information I had Stage 4 prostate cancer.

And then get this...contacting the credit bureau to see what happened and if the bad guys got access -- it was the least inviting/able to access anyone company there was.

I felt like the clock was ticking to contact all of them at this stage because I had no idea if they actually got lines of credit or access to my full credit/history or what? I was calling them all to find out info, stop things...I leapt into action. And what did that get me? Basically nowhere. Constant transfers or giving me phone numbers to call...speaking to outsources in other countries, so I had a hard time understanding/following the conversation...I never really got ‘real’ information. Not one company, on the spot, could tell me if an account was opened or attempted to be opened in my name. Not that they wouldn’t...they didn’t have systems or headcount or concern in place to be able to tell me anything. Their fraud departments were ‘nothing’, in my opinion. Except one, which we’ll get to in a bit.

SUNDAY = I got alerted.

MONDAY wee hours = I froze all my credit.

MONDAY all day = Constant calls, transfers, on hold, dead ends, really not one real piece of info from anyone.

Now what do I do?

Tomorrow we’ll pick up tomorrow with Part 3: Credit Protection Firm Shopping...

---------------------------------------------------

Part 3: Credit Protection Firm Shopping...

When I got the first alert of an identity issue very late Sunday night, I asked GEMINI what I should do given the situations...it told me to set up FREE accounts on the Big 3 credit bureaus and (1) Freeze my credit with all 3, and (2) Put a Fraud Alert on my credit bureaus accounts, so I did.

Freezing means NO company can see your credit. You have to go in and unfreeze it if you’re really going to apply for credit for something. Freezing closes the gates 100% from any fraud attempts going forward...but the ones prior are still alive.

Fraud Alert means = when a business sees a fraud alert activated on your report, they are legally required to take "reasonable steps" to verify your identity before granting new credit. This usually means they will call you at a phone number you provided when you set up the alert. I wonder how hard they really try to get a hold of a person...

But then I asked GEMINI to recommend an identity theft monitoring company that insures me for losses. I thought LifeLock was the leader, but it insisted it is a company called AURA, insisted it by a mile from the other options. So, I signed up with them and am just getting started...but apparently they would have helped me make those individual phone calls to all the businesses that the thieves tried to sign up for credit with by having access to a ‘white glove’ service where they will help me dispute the ‘hard inquiries’ if I want them to.

If anyone has good or bad experience with AURA, drop me an email–I’d like to see what real people think. Online, everyone pretty much has AURA rated #1.

I thought I could get away with not having paid-for credit protection since I had the free Credit Karma that does so much, but they just alert after-the-fact...they don’t defend and/or assist.

I am going to have them assist me later next week when I get past the NFL Draft processing crunch. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow we’ll conclude with the ‘outcome’ of all this: Part 4: So what happened to the thieves attempts to open all these accounts, how much money did they get?

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=====================

4/25 SAT

(7:05amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- Saturday/Draft Round 3, we will not stream that...but I may be a guest on another draft stream (briefly). I’ll let you know the details if/when I know them.

I plan to have a post opened where I drop comments in on any draft things that trigger and comments after each round, etc., throughout the day.

-- Working on the first wave of DRD rankings for initial publish second-half of day Sunday. Will be the top 30-50 approx. with maybe 10 player commentaries.

Monday we’ll expand to like the top 100 with 20+ commentaries...and we’ll keep expanding it every day of the week as we get to the top 300+...and then we’ll update every week (min.) until kickoff, as we do.

-- My post-Draft mock DRD series from the 12 draft spots/5 rounds will start Monday...two or more slots a day to get through all 12 slots by the weekend of 5/2-3 for those first DRDs going off.

-- The impact/changes to the Dynasty rankings...will be working on those all week trying to have the first wave of impacts considered/valued by the 5/2-3 weekend as well.

Busy week ahead.

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- DRD valuations/rankings top 300+ board debuts Sunday 4/26 and updates/adds to everyday post NFL Draft week.

-- DRD 5-round Mock Draft, 12-episode series begins Monday 4/27

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. IDP studies trying to get done by end of April.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway (on hold for draft, since we’re this close)

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- NFL Draft THREE ‘Winners and Losers’ off the cuff after two days of drafting...

WINNERS

Pittsburgh Steelers = O-Line is everything, and the Steelers got two of my top guys...guys I was hoping/thinking the Chargers may get. Everette is arguably the top CB in the draft for me. Germie is OK. We can overlook Allar and focus on the potential of the OLs.

Round 1, pick 21: Max Iheanachor -- OT, Arizona State

Round 2, pick 47: Germie Bernard -- WR, Alabama

Round 3, pick 76: Drew Allar -- QB, Penn State

Round 3, pick 85: Daylen Everette -- CB, Georgia

Round 3, pick 96: Gennings Dunker -- IOL, Iowa

New York Jets = Got my top DE, top TE, and secretly my personal favorite CB and a solid, instant starting WR. A great draft here.

Round 1, pick 2: David Bailey -- EDGE, Texas Tech

Round 1, pick 16: Kenyon Sadiq -- TE, Oregon

Round 1, pick 30: Omar Cooper Jr. -- WR, Indiana

Round 2, pick 50: D'Angelo Ponds -- CB, Indiana

Cleveland Browns = Yep, I said it...’winners’. A top O-Line prospect in Fano. Two hopeful WRs that are upgrades from Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond garbage. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was a nice thing that fell into their laps.

Round 1, pick 9: Spencer Fano -- OT, Utah

Round 1, pick 24: KC Concepcion -- WR, Texas A&M

Round 2, pick 39: Denzel Boston -- WR, Washington

Round 2, pick 58: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren -- S, Toledo

Round 3, pick 86: Austin Barber -- OT, Florida

Miami Dolphins = Couldn’t decide between CLE and MIA, so I put them both on here. A top CB, the top LB, a top blocking TE, an upside giant OT, and solid, tough WRs.

Round 1, pick 12: Kadyn Proctor -- OT, Alabama

Round 1, pick 27: Chris Johnson -- CB, San Diego State

Round 2, pick 43: Jacob Rodriguez -- LB, Texas Tech

Round 3, pick 75: Caleb Douglas -- WR, Texas Tech

Round 3, pick 87: Will Kaczmarek -- TE, Ohio State

Round 3, pick 94: Chris Bell -- WR, Louisville

LOSERS

LA Rams = So close to a title and they draft three players that won’t really help the 2026 cause, except Trost is some depth. Not an impact player in sight for LAR.

Round 1, pick 13: Ty Simpson -- QB, Alabama

Round 2, pick 61: Max Klare -- TE, Ohio State

Round 3, pick 93: Keagen Trost -- IOL, Missouri

Denver Broncos = Only had one pick...and it sucked.

Round 3, pick 66: Tyler Onyedim -- DT, Texas A&M

Green Bay Packers = Not really impressed much with either of these guys.

Round 2, pick 52: Brandon Cisse -- CB, South Carolina

Round 3, pick 77: Chris McClellan -- DL, Missouri

Jacksonville Jaguars = Was angling for an all-time, epic failure of a draft the likes of which I we rarely see by taking 5th+ round pick guys way too high...but they saved their certain draft death with Pregnon falling into their laps.

Round 2, pick 56: Nate Boerkircher -- TE, Texas A&M

Round 3, pick 81: Albert Regis -- DL, Texas A&M

Round 3, pick 88: Emmanuel Pregnon -- IOL, Oregon

Round 3, pick 100: Jalen Huskey -- S, Maryland

Los Angeles Chargers = They had one job...get an elite guard and lock in the probable best O-Line in the draft. And when they got a top center, to allow Slaughter or Biadasz to move to guard...they were then one more OG away...one more Infinity Stone to collect to have eternal O-Line power the likes of which the NFL has not seen in a long-time, but they blew it. They kept trading back out of spots that caused them to ultimately miss Pregnon and Dunker.

They had the brass ring right in their grasp...and let it slip. They might still find it 4th-round, but there’s not really that ‘Infinity Stone’ left to find. I’m judging their Draft Day’s 1-2, and I have to call it like I see it -- they blew the O-Line opportunity of a lifetime. And drafting Mesidor was still the worst pick in the entire draft...based on what it cost. So disappointed in LAC missing out on something legendary. They were so close...it was right there!

Round 1, pick 22: Akheem Mesidor -- EDGE, Miami

Round 2, pick 63: Jake Slaughter -- IOL, Florida

OK, switching to some of the best of the draft ‘tweets’/storylines...

-- The McVay-Snead war has begun...seriously. Here’s a ‘movie book’ on this entire Ty Simpson story/fiasco using ‘tweets’.

Kay Adams knows more about Ty Simpson than Sean McVay, per McVay? https://x.com/nflfrascella/status/2047626351239131400?s=43

This is insanity: https://x.com/tompelissero/status/2047677588244455571?s=43

Anti-Snead: https://x.com/rotosurgeon/status/2047491775070405022?s=43

Sean McVay was SO ecstatic: https://x.com/ramsup_ian/status/2047542439830020299?s=43

McVay’s excitement continues to burst through: https://x.com/mlfootball/status/2047539609765110197?s=43

The battle for QB2 gets exciting for a team on the brink of a Super Bowl with a window closing: https://x.com/nickhamilton213/status/2047542387334095152?s=43

The 49ers are ‘very afraid’ of Simpson: https://x.com/mattblively/status/2047518926050127947?s=43

Wrapping it up: https://x.com/cantaloupe_ff/status/2047488440757874796?s=43

Apparently everything is fine now? https://x.com/arashmarkazi/status/2047879755220078998?s=43

Less Snead parting shot: https://x.com/rotosurgeon/status/2047845090169917536?s=43

A.I. is amazing (F-bombs alert): https://x.com/wags_official/status/2047733475621614031?s=43

-- ‘Deep Thoughts’...with Arvell Reese

School work: https://x.com/leeknabers/status/2047333814230274459?s=43

His fave NYG’er: https://x.com/sleepernfl/status/2047535912331182310?s=43

Maybe he should be the GM: https://x.com/underdognfl/status/2047701119749492807?s=43

We know who is NOT the GM (or happy): https://x.com/nflfrascella/status/2047658513644634585?s=43

Questions arise: https://x.com/craigcartonshow/status/2047727567763804457?s=43

-- The fans are restless in SF...

Day 2 history: https://x.com/ryanj_heath/status/2047818252038946862?s=43

Shanny-Lynch issues like LAR? https://x.com/bigbrocertified/status/2047842679757705300?s=43

Interesting Infographics: https://x.com/sfdata9ers/status/2047818300986368485?s=43

-- What happened to Jermod McCoy?

https://x.com/drjessemorse/status/2046387995583160600?s=43

-- He speaks for all Vikings fans, I think... https://x.com/calebgoatqb1/status/2047516610911490465?s=43

-- Dillon Thieneman hit pieces: https://x.com/kirkwoodanddunn/status/2047508479238181207?s=43

https://x.com/johnmassingale4/status/2047734602945417431?s=43

-- FACTS: https://x.com/jakobsanderson/status/2047720192734818516?s=43

I did not understand that pick AT. ALL.

-- I kinda lost track of this, but this is true...

https://x.com/ffsnoog/status/2047850558019518698?s=43

It is good news for a certain WR that I love on this list!

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- Paused for the draft because everything is about the draft.

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://x.com/onyxodds/status/2047411198614773945?s=43

== New Short-Term Daily Series ==

This is gonna be an odd short series but consider it a Public Service Announcement...another PSA story from me this year, and this PSA may be worse than my other PSA (prostate cancer) issue.

My PSA for the next few days will be about...Identity Theft.

Someone made an attempt on me and I’m going to share how it unfolded and my journey into learning about what to do and the nightmare of things I had to do.

Part 1: The Intrusion...

I wanted to intervene before the inquiry turned into an official account. I was in a frenzy.

I knew I should probably just call in the morning (Monday) when the full staff would be around.

I did a GEMINI research into what to do about a fraud breach... And it came back that I should urgently/primarily check all the three credit reporting agencies and consider freezing my credit.

Tomorrow we’ll pick up tomorrow with Part 2: Monday Morning Phone Call Mania...

Part 2: Monday Morning Phone Call Mania...

So now it was MY job to call all these credit card companies and Carvana all Monday morning...so, I did.

Trying to scout draft prospects, write draft reports, deal with radiation sickness...and call all these corporations in desperation to find out info and stop the bad guys/gals...what a wonderful day.

So, I called every one of the companies to follow up on the ‘Hard Inquires’ (someone applied for credit in my name)

Carvana = gave me an email to their fraud department. Couldn’t contact them direct. So, I emailed and waited for a response. Credit to them they emailed back quickly for additional info and said they would look into and get back to me.

Credit Bureau = I thought 4 attempts at different Carvana’s was bad. Then I thought the Crypto account thing was really bad. Then I when I realized they mya have tried to buy my credit report from one of the Big 3, it made me sick. They tried to use my identity info/credentials to buy access to my full credit everything. Think about the ramifications! Devious/smart on their end. Made a person fighting cancer on a lot of chemically altering meds the most anxious, heart-pounding he’s been since I first got the information I had Stage 4 prostate cancer.

And then get this...contacting the credit bureau to see what happened and if the bad guys got access -- it was the least inviting/able to access anyone company there was.

SUNDAY = I got alerted.

MONDAY wee hours = I froze all my credit.

MONDAY all day = Constant calls, transfers, on hold, dead ends, really not one real piece of info from anyone.

Now what do I do?

Tomorrow we’ll pick up tomorrow with Part 3: Credit Protection Firm Shopping...

----------------------------------------------------------

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*Our Betting Subscription offering (including private Discord chat access): https://ffmetrics.com/betting/betting

=====================

4/24 FRI

(8:17amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- Draft Live Stream JUST for FFMers tonight! Scheduled for Me and Ross duet...and you.

The draft starts at 7pmET. We’ll likely sign on any time after 615-630pmET to test equipment and discuss any questions or anything anyone has on anything draft, betting the draft, or FF items.

At 7pm, the draft takes our lives over and we’ll react to picks for NFL purposes and FF purposes and react to your chats in the chatroom.

Saturday/Round 3, we will not stream that...but I may be a guest on another draft stream (briefly). I’ll let you know the details if/when I know them.

-- Next Scouting Report ASAP...they will slow down now as the DRD rankings/valuations take center stage of our work.

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- DRD valuations/rankings top 300+ board debuts Sunday 4/26 and updates/adds to everyday post NFL Draft week.

-- DRD 5-round Mock Draft, 12-episode series begins 4/27

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. IDP studies trying to get done by end of April.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway (on hold for draft, since we’re this close)

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

-- More head coaching pressers from 3/30-31 analyzed.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- As I suspected would be the case...

(take this for what it is worth)

I spoke to my Cardinals source after the draft. He told me...they couldn’t find what they thought was the right trade back deal to get Simpson at the ‘right’/acceptable price and decided to draft Jeremiyah Love as the ultimate back up plan when all else failed...take the media/fan acceptable option and get the jersey sale benefit to offset payroll and try to chase back into the 1st-round later if Cleveland didn’t take Ty Simpson at #6.

When the Browns moved back to #9, there was fear that Simpson would be going there. When he wasn’t taken the Cards were buoyed trying to figure out how to get back into the late 1st without getting killed on the price. They thought the Rams were mostly bluffing on Simpson all along...and then LAR did the deed, and Arizona was stunned and are now stuck without a favored QB plan.

They will likely now chase Beck, Nussmeier, or Allar, but also now sign Brissett to a better deal...or if they can’t do that with Brissett (and thus it be another QB situation they botched) then they’ll trade Brissett and elevate Minshew for 2026 Week 1 and try to develop Beck or Allar, etc., while seeking trades for Tyson Bagent again. Watch for an Arizona panic trade for Bagent involving their #34 and sending Brissett to CHI.

The NFC West has the defending Super Bowl Champs (SEA), the best team in the league last year (LAR), and one of the best teams of the past decade (SF)...two HOF coaches (McVay, Shanahan) and an HOF GM...the two absolute ‘Dumb & Dumber’ coaches in Mike LaFleur and his O-C Nate Hackett and a botch-o-mania GM (ARI). How will the Cardinals ever compete in the NFC West the rest of this decade?

-- I was told to watch out for Texas Tech money influence in this draft to try and get Jacob Rodriquez and Lee Hunter into the 1st-round. That did not happen.

-- Right off the cuff without a ton of detailed analysis/thought, my three ‘winners and losers’ from the 1st-Round:

WINNERS

Miami Dolphins = The three most important things I judge an NFL franchise by...O-Line, QB, CB group. Miami signs Malik Willis in the offseason. They then draft a giant OT (Proctor) #12, while trading back and then gets (arguably) the best CB in the draft in Chris Johnson at #27. That’s taking great advantage of having two 1st-round picks...and both outside the top 10 so their payroll structures are as heavy.

New Orleans Saints = They want three things from the early part of this draft...a top WR, one of great CBs (a deep class of them), and a Guard. They start out by getting an elite WR (if he can stay healthy) in Jordyn Tyson, exponentially more upside than Carnell Tate. They could land a top CB or possibly snag Emmanuel Pregnon at #42 and possibly trade up into the early 2nd with an additional pick to complete their high priority trio. The Saints are minimum one of those 2 needs (CB, OG) away from really locking in as the NFC South favorite. If they achieve both CB and OG missions today...I think the NFC South is theirs, barring injury.

Pittsburgh Steelers = Called Makai Lemon to let him know they were taking him, but then the Eagles jumped ahead of them and took Lemon away. Nice ‘leaks’ in Pittsburgh. So, instead they had to adjust on the fly and took OT Max Iheanachor...our 3rd-highest valued player in the entire draft. Better to be lucky than good. The Steelers are getting into the running for the best O-Line in the NFL.

LOSERS

NY Giants = Any two picks in the 1st-round is such an opportunity for any team, but two top 10 picks can really change a franchise overnight. Had NYG cashed in on their two picks they would by my favorites for the NFC East title...and instead they got sucked in by a useless, weak, supposed EDGE rusher (Reese) and then miss out on the top OL in the draft (Fano) because they passed on it #5 and hoped to get #10 and CLE got in front of them and stole Fano. They didn’t destroy themselves...it’s just a massively blown opportunity.

LA Chargers = Picking #22...literally a guard away from being the best roster in the NFL. And instead they get sucked into the ‘EDGE rusher’ nonsense, and a weak one with issues at that (Mesidore). They had a tiger by the tail and let it go... They can get off this list if they somehow land Pregnon in the 2nd.

Minnesota Vikings = At #18 they pass on some nice OLs (especially Iheanachor) to take a sketchy DT Caleb Banks. It’s not the single worst pick in the 1st (that’s probably LAC/Mesidore) but it’s bad...and another wasted opportunity in an offseason where only the Falcons have destroyed their team/roster more. But the Vikings are melting down with their roster with the added bonus of several coaches bailing out on the regime in numbers this offseason. Maybe it’s a KOC master makeover...or it’s the year he goes on the hot seat for 2027 and 2028.

*Bonus #4... The NFL = With O-Line such a critical thing for NFL franchises, the first OL didn’t get drafted until the #9 pick...but two edges and an OLB were taken ahead of that, as were three Ohio State players. The NFL’s draft planning is ‘same as it ever was’. What’s going on in my head watching the top 8 picks of this draft: https://youtu.be/XJlU_d186TU?si=j-7InaGZ_N-Xyszs

-- The NFL Draft actual vs. the consensus of all Mock Drafts, FYI...

1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana: Actual 1 / Projected 1 (Exact)

2: David Bailey, LB, Texas Tech: Actual 2 / Projected 3 (+1)

3: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame: Actual 3 / Projected 4 (+1)

4: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State: Actual 4 / Projected 7 (+3)

5: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State: Actual 5 / Projected 2 (-3)

6: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU: Actual 6 / Projected 10 (+4)

7: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State: Actual 7 / Projected 5 (-2)

8: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State: Actual 8 / Projected 11 (+3)

9: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah: Actual 9 / Projected 12 (+3)

10: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami: Actual 10 / Projected 8 (-2)

11: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State: Actual 11 / Projected 6 (-5)

12: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama: Actual 12 / Projected 18 (+6)

13: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama: Actual 13 / Projected 32 (+19)

14: Vega Ioane, G, Penn State: Actual 14 / Projected 14 (Exact)

15: Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami: Actual 15 / Projected 9 (-6)

16: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon: Actual 16 / Projected 16 (Exact)

17: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson: Actual 17 / Projected 24 (+7)

18: Caleb Banks, DE, Florida: Actual 18 / Projected 44 (+26)

19: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia: Actual 19 / Projected 15 (-4)

20: Makai Lemon, WR, USC: Actual 20 / Projected 13 (-7)

21: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State: Actual 21 / Projected 28 (+7)

22: Akheem Mesidor, LB, Miami: Actual 22 / Projected 20 (-2)

23: Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF: Actual 23 / Projected 35 (+12)

24: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M: Actual 24 / Projected 23 (-1)

25: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon: Actual 25 / Projected 17 (-8)

26: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech: Actual 26 / Projected 49 (+23)

27: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State: Actual 27 / Projected 34 (+7)

28: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah: Actual 28 / Projected 26 (-2)

29: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson: Actual 29 / Projected 31 (+2)

30: Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana: Actual 30 / Projected 22 (-8)

31: Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn: Actual 31 / Projected 21 (-10)

32: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame: Actual 32 / Projected 42 (+10)

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- Paused for the draft because everything is about the draft.

But let me use this space to congratulate all my fellow Ty Simpson bettors! My NFL Draft special bets...we did it! I was hoping for a 10x but we had to settle for a 2x!! Some of you went harder on the ‘under’ 24.5 and you really did well. Congrats!!

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://x.com/haterreport/status/2047533652523839525?s=43

== New Short-Term Daily Series ==

This is gonna be an odd short series but consider it a Public Service Announcement...another PSA story from me this year, and this PSA may be worse than my other PSA (prostate cancer) issue.

My PSA for the next few days will be about...Identity Theft.

Someone made an attempt on me and I’m going to share how it unfolded and my journey into learning about what to do and the nightmare of things I had to do.

Part 1: The Intrusion...

I wanted to intervene before the inquiry turned into an official account. I was in a frenzy.

I knew I should probably just call in the morning (Monday) when the full staff would be around.

I did a GEMINI research into what to do about a fraud breach... And it came back that I should urgently/primarily check all the three credit reporting agencies and consider freezing my credit.

Tomorrow we’ll pick up with Part 2: Monday Morning Phone Call Mania...

----------------------------------------------------------

*How to sign up for our monthly or annual access: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/total-football-advisor

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*Our Betting Subscription offering (including private Discord chat access): https://ffmetrics.com/betting/betting

=====================

4/23 THU

(7:39amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- Draft Live Stream JUST for FFMers tonight! Just me...and you.

The draft starts at 8pmET. I’ll likely sign on any time after 7pmET to test equipment and discuss any questions or anything anyone has on anything draft, betting the draft, or FF items.

At 8pm, the draft takes our lives over and I’ll react to picks for NFL purposes and FF purposes and react to your chats in the chatroom.

Friday/Round 2 the draft starts at 7pm, and Ross Jacobs is scheduled to join me for the ride.

*I am taking most of this day ‘off’ ahead of the draft. Gonna relax a bit and tinker on stuff to stay up-to-date and fresh for 5 hours of streaming tonight!*

-- Next Scouting Report ASAP...trying to go through a surge of pro Day data and tapes to get grades on all the prospects and try to find a needle in the haystack for FF.

-- NFL Draft position grades = PK add and various FINAL updates/audits/rechecks planned for today.

-- NFL Draft values BIG BOARD...Final pre-Draft update tonight per-Draft.

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- DRD valuations/rankings top 300+ board debuts Sunday 4/26 and updates everyday post NFL Draft week.

-- DRD 5-round Mock Draft, 12-episode series begins 4/27

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. Starting up the IDP studies to try to get them done by end of April.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway (on hold for draft, since we’re this close)

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

-- More head coaching pressers from 3/30-31 analyzed.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said, “There won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal” for George Pickens.

Which could mean they made an offer and he can take it or leave it...no negotiating?

More likely they are sending the message that Pickens demands are too high...and they internally have seen the whack-a-do that Pickens is and don’t want to marry it long term.

If Pickens ultimately says he wants a trade, they will then allow his agent/team to pursue one...then when no good deal comes in, he’ll have to play on the generous franchise tag.

Everybody loves Pickens’ talent...no one disputes it. They also know what he is like mentally...no team wants to spend hot/long on that. Pickens will play on the franchise tag...and it’s up to him to prove he is worth a long-term, big deal...or keep on being late to things and acting like an idiot. The ball is in Pickens’ court. It was last year and he botched it. We only see the on-field majesty and erraticism. They see the off-field mess.

If Pickens was a ‘Boy Scout’ last year, he’d have gotten his big deal.

If you own Pickens...you want him to have to keep grinding. Your worst nightmare is = paid beyond his wildest dreams and then totally goes nuts. The franchise tag year may do that, but there is bigger money out there for him with one ‘choir boy’ season to fool Jerry...but Pickens is likely too stupid to seize it.

-- HEADLINE: NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero believes you “can’t rule out” Carson Beck from being selected in the first round of the draft.

I think that I can! And I will.

If Beck can be spoken of as a 1st-rounder, then Ty Simpson going top 15 isn’t insane at all.

-- ROSS JACOBS NOTE: On our ‘connections’ report vibe, Ross added...

Pittsburgh WR's coach Adam Henry worked with Omar Cooper at Indiana in 2022 and Senior Offensive Assistant Frank Cignetti Jr. is the brother of Curt Cignetti.

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes RB Jeremiyah Love would be “the logical pick” for the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

-- Jay Glazer of Fox Sports hinted during an appearance on Wake Up Barstool that something interesting could happen.

“I know something that’s going on,” Glazer said. “I just can’t say it yet. So, [I] was told you can’t say it until, you know, we’re kind of getting on the clock there.”

-- Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said QBs Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are splitting reps in the Steelers’ offseason program.

-- “When you have a Drew Brees — when you have that caliber of quarterback — you always feel like you’re one player away,” GM Mickey Loomis said, via the team’s website. “And so, ‘Man, let’s go get the one player.’ And when you have a young quarterback and you’re developing your roster, you’re not one player away. So, you’re less inclined to give up a number of assets to get one player. We’re not one player away. That’s a five-game stretch or a six-game stretch. I don’t want to read too much into that. We’re excited, we’re optimistic about our future, but by no means have we arrived anywhere.”

-- Deion Sanders told the students (teaching at Colorado for a session) that the general problems they have now are small in the grand scheme of things: breakups, college class issues, etc. He said they complain too much and need to quit “trippin.’”

“You’re dealing with petty stuff” said Sanders, who recently finished his fourth spring practice season in Boulder. “Then we claim mental health, and it ain't mental health. It's you. I’m going to say that again: It's you. You know why I know it's you? Because when everything going good, you ain't (saying), ‘Oh man, mentally I'm really healthy right now.’ I've never heard nobody say that when it's going really, really good.

“But when it goes bad, you blame something. You want you want to blame something. And this generation is better than that. Like, you guys are smarter, more intelligent, more insightful. Like, you traveled and visited more places. You're having opportunities that we would never been afforded. And you complain too dern much. Like, quit trippin'. Like, I'm serious. Quit trippin' and man up. Woman up. Do the doggone thing. And tell your parents you love them.”

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://x.com/drclownphd/status/2044929080148013115?s=43

== New Daily Ranking Series (Series FINALE) ==

(same intro everyday) Re-doing the 2025 NFL Draft before the 2026 Draft begins...just for fun.

I’m gonna take the 4 picks per day for 8 days and rank them as if I were an NFL GM (NOT Fantasy). We’ll start with 1-4 and do 4 more each day until we end with re-ranking picks 29-32 into the mix.

I will rank them tiers and move them around as we go/as it unfolds.

Today: Picks #29-32/the end

Cam Ward (1), Grey Zabel (18), Jaxson Dart (25), Travis Hunter (2), Tet McMillan (8), Kelvin Banks (9), Armand Membou (7), Tyler Booker (12), Donovan Jackson (24)

Omarion Hampton (22), Ashton Jeanty (6), Emeka Egbuka (19), Josh Conerly (29), Josh Simmons (32), Abdul Carter (3), Walter Nolen (16), Mykel Williams (11), Derrick Harmon (21), Colston Loveland (10), Tyler Warren (14), Jahdae Barron (20), Maxwell Hairston (30)

Will Campbell (4), Jalon Walker (15), Mason Graham (5), Kenneth Grant (13), Tyliek Williams (28), Malachi Starks (27), Matthew Golden (23), Shermar Stewart (17), Jihad Campbell (31), James Pearce (26)

----------------------------------------------------------

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*Our Betting Subscription offering (including private Discord chat access): https://ffmetrics.com/betting/betting

=====================

4/22 WED

(8:06amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- New series ENDS today: A ‘special’ Dynasty Rookie Draft...

A DRD with the rookies from 2025 + 2026 + a special group of specially selected players outside of that. +2 more picks every day.

-- Next Scouting Reports ASAP...trying to go through a surge of pro Day data and tapes to get grades on all the prospects and try to find a needle in the haystack for FF.

-- NFL Draft position grades = PK add and various updates/audits/rechecks planned for today.

-- NFL Draft values BIG BOARD 1.0 posted yesterday. Adds and updates WED and THU.

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- DRD valuations/rankings top 300+ board debuts Sunday 4/26 and updates everyday post NFL Draft week.

-- DRD 5-round Mock Draft, 12-episode series begins 4/27

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. Starting up the IDP studies to try to get them done by end of April.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway (on hold for draft, since we’re this close)

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

-- More head coaching pressers from 3/30-31 analyzed.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter said “he would watch to see if [the Falcons] could find a trade partner for Kyle Pitts, who they’re open to dealing.”

I think they will deal Pitts...if they can find a trade partner, but so far there hasn’t been a ton of interest. I think they will deal Pitts to a contender in need and then sign free agent David Njoku...who conveniently hasn’t signed anywhere in free agency yet.

Where does Pitts go? A few guesses...

1) Cincy...they definitely have a need and are ‘going for it’ in 2026.

2) KC...always has been rumored to be interested in acquiring him.

-- HEADLINE: Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan said he’s working on increasing weight and muscle this offseason.

I don’t know why this reminded me of something from last year...but remember when Marvin Harrison Jr. got jacked last year and it meant he was gonna ‘smash’ in 2025 season, per the fawning media? Yeah, right...Harrison’s issue is not muscle composition.

...but it would help McMillian, who has played a bit thinner framed...more taller/lanky. He could use 5-pounds of muscle to go to even higher levels. Unlike MHJ...Tet is actually a good/great WR, so it matters how his body is/how it works to his advantage.

-- HEADLINE: NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy might need a second knee surgery.

Some say he might, others in the medical don’t. This is a major issue for Thursday...the top CB (on talent) in the draft, but now the medical question. Remember when Michigan CB Will Johnson fell to the 2nd-round because of medical whispers and slow private workout? He was really good last year. A bargain.

-- Just a note from a pretty plugged in ‘insider’.

https://blackandteal.com/jordan-schultz-argues-jaguars-fans-can-t-ignore-growing-nfl-buzz-anymore-james-gladstone-liam-coen-tony-boselli

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- The Saints could take a wide receiver, and Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate has already expressed a desire to play with Shough, as has Louisville wideout Chris Bell, a former teammate of Shough’s.

“To get that recognition from some of those guys that are obviously really good players, elite-level talent, it’s an honor,” Shough said, via Matthew Paras of nola.com. “But knowing that, we have so much more to grow. And I have so much more to grow. So obviously, I want to keep doing everything I can and to get some of those guys would be really good.”

-- ...but Dan Patrick took it a step further on a recent episode of his show, saying that a source told him Burrow effectively gave the Bengals an ultimatum.

“I was told Joe Burrow is the one calling the shots in Cincinnati,” Patrick said. “...From what I’m told, Joe Burrow said to management, ‘you gotta do something defensively or I’m out of here.' I was told this morning by a source, who said that Joe has given them an ultimatum.”

RC NOTE: This sounds like BS/made up things that sound interesting.

-- Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson each received work with the starters in team drills during the first meaningful practice under new head coach Todd Monken. Dillon Gabriel did not receive first-team snaps. That structure was intentional, Monken said, and a recommendation from quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian that Monken approved.

Sanders received first-team snaps initially in 11-on-11 drills.

“He was first man up,” Monken said Tuesday afternoon. “The way it was going to turn out, Shedeur was going to get more reps, some of it in [seven on seven] some of it in [11 on 11]. Team periods were slowed down [and] set up in a way for us to get a look at all of them.

“The plan was to have Shedeur get a few more reps but have Deshaun and Shedeur both have reps with the ones.”

“I wouldn't say it’s a two-man race,” Monken said. “I would just say that at every position, there’s competition. Irrespective of the reps they get, which I’ve said before, everybody ought to be competing.”

-- CBS’ Jonathan Jones reports “Arizona is linked to” Alabama QB Ty Simpson “more than any other team.”

“The noise across the league is getting impossible to ignore,” Jones writes in putting Simpson on the Cardinals in a trade-up at the end of the first round.

-- Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.

“He and I have a great relationship,” McVay said. “Feel really good about kind of the direction we’re going.”

-- The New England Patriots' head coach spoke to reporters on April 21, his first press conference since the New York Post published the photos on April 7.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people I care about − with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," Vrabel said in an opening statement.

Following his statement, Vrabel declined to answer any further questions from reporters.

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://x.com/its_The_Dr/status/2045543822298415424

== New Daily Ranking Series ==

(same intro everyday) Re-doing the 2025 NFL Draft before the 2026 Draft begins...just for fun.

I will rank them tiers and move them around as we go/as it unfolds.

Today: Picks #25-28

Cam Ward (1), Grey Zabel (18), Jaxson Dart (25), Travis Hunter (2), Tet McMillan (8), Kelvin Banks (9), Armand Membou (7), Tyler Booker (12), Donovan Jackson (24)

Omarion Hampton (22), Ashton Jeanty (6), Emeka Egbuka (19), Abdul Carter (3), Walter Nolen (16), Mykel Williams (11), Derrick Harmon (21), Colston Loveland (10), Tyler Warren (14), Jahdae Barron (20)

Will Campbell (4), Jalon Walker (15), Mason Graham (5), Kenneth Grant (13), Tyliek Williams (28), Malachi Starks (27), Matthew Golden (23), Shermar Stewart (17), James Pearce (26)

----------------------------------------------------------

*How to sign up for our monthly or annual access: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/total-football-advisor

*How to get the free FFM App and FAQs on how to use: https://ffmetrics.com/5663-how-to-get-the-free-ffm-app

*Our Betting Subscription offering (including private Discord chat access): https://ffmetrics.com/betting/betting

=====================

4/21 TUE

(6:08amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- New series underway: A ‘special’ Dynasty Rookie Draft...

A DRD with the rookies from 2025 + 2026 + a special group of specially selected players outside of that. +2 more picks every day.

-- Next Scouting Report ASAP...trying to go through a surge of pro Day data and tapes to get grades on all the prospects and try to find a needle in the haystack for FF.

-- NFL Draft position grades = OG updates wrapping up ASAP. audits/rechecks QB board adds and update all planned for today.

-- NFL Draft values BIG BOARD test 1.0 (my draft prospect valuations) planned for today...updates WED and again THU pre-Draft.

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. Starting up the IDP studies to try to get them done by end ofApril.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway (on hold for draft, since we’re this close)

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

-- More head coaching pressers from 3/30-31 analyzed.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: 49ers signed Trent Williams to a two-year, $50 million contract extension.

Biggest news of the day, by far...one of the most impactful things of all 2026, so far. Arguably the best non-QB player in the NFL for the past few years. The 49ers knew it and acted accordingly. As Trent goes, so goes SF...so goes CMC and Purdy.

-- HEADLINE: Colts GM Chris Ballard said Daniel Jones is “progressing really well” in his recovery from a torn Achilles. Ballard noted that Jones is throwing and moving while adding that Jones and the team are “shooting for Week 1" for him to be back on the field.

JT, Pierce, Downs Warren...a have their FF values hinging on when Dan Jones returns. Even if DJ misses just 2-3 games, then that’s the first games out of the chute for FF 2026...not the start you want if JT is visibly down in production, as would be the receivers (in theory, and that’s what happened last year). It’s too early to know right now.

-- HEADLINE: Colts GM Chris Ballard said Alec Pierce was absent from OTAs after undergoing ankle surgery and is looking at a “three-month recovery.”

So, Dan Jones may be out for a few weeks to start the season AND Pierce is having ankle surgery this offseason? Ummm, yeah...’NO’ to Pierce as a hot asset to start FF 2026??

-- HEADLINE: Cowboys signed K Brandon Aubrey to a four-year, $28 million contract extension.

This deal has $20M guaranteed...making him the 11th highest player in total guaranteed contract...I mean, 11th highest running back. Just behind Bijan and just ahead of Alvin Kamara. And #1 kicker in guaranteed money.

RESPECT.

For NFL outcomes, he is just as/differently impactful or more than average/OK running backs. Aubrey has been a 1-of-1 for a few years. And Jeremiyah Love is the next Travis Etienne (they say)...great, use a top 5 draft pick/payroll for that/a solid RB and rotate Younghoe Koo and Riley Patterson as your kicker.

The NFL has its on-field valuations/priorities out of whack...it understands nothing of supply and demand. The NFL still craves EDGEs and tries their best at O-Line, when O-Line is now the most important function driving a team (not QB anymore...there’s plenty of them to go around). The NFL does understand you’ll sell more Love jerseys than Aubrey jerseys...

-- HEADLINE: NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Kayshon Boutte’s name “has come up in trade talks” with Boutte entering the final year of his rookie contract.

If the Eagles acquired Kayshon Boutte as a throw in for their post-June 1st AJ Brown deal, then Philly would have built their WR group for 2026 smartly. Smith-Wicks-Boutte...you can win with that. And then add a WR in day 2 or 3 of the draft. WRs (nor edges) nor RBs drive an NFL team’s performance. AJ Brown is not that important, but nice to have in his right mind and health.

AJB has exactly 7 TDs in each of the past 3 seasons. Part time Boutte had 6 TDs in 2025.

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- In Monken's sit-down with Clark, he was asked to name a player who is going to take a leap in 2026. He mentioned some obvious candidates, such as second-year players Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, and Harold Fannin Jr. Nestled in his answer, however, was Jeudy — particularly Monken's belief that the new coaching staff would be able to get him back to 2024 form. "I think we're going to be able to get Jerry Jeudy back to two years ago," Monken said. "And that's not a leap."

RC NOTE: You sad, sad, sad human being/head coach.

-- I did not realize this...

The NFL implemented a new timing system for the first round, shorting the amount of time teams have on the clock from 10 minutes to eight.

“They moved the first round from 10 minutes to eight minutes, so naturally we’ve had a little more conversation to set parameters for what the value is if you move up to this spot or move back,” Omar Khan said. “There’s more conversation, but until we get there, I’m not sure how that’s going to go.”

-- "The Cardinals are a really interesting selection," Joel Klatt wrote. "Most people believe they're looking to shore up the edge. They probably could and maybe they will, but I can't get out of my head a little thought — and it comes with some intel — of the Cardinals loving Jeremiyah Love. We know they also like Ty Simpson, but this is too rich a spot to draft him. With the thought of potentially making a move for Simpson later in mind, why don't the Cardinals draft Love? A lot of people believe Love is the best non-quarterback in the draft. Arizona would get a running back who can move between the tackles, hit home runs on the outside and catch passes as a slot receiver."

-- NEWS: Running back Sean Tucker is back on the roster in Tampa Bay.

The NFL’s daily transaction report shows that Tucker re-signed with the team on Monday. Tucker was tendered as a restricted free agent earlier in the offseason but did not sign an offer sheet with another team.

Tucker will make $3.52 million under the terms of the tender offer.

-- The Rams, who own the No. 13 overall pick, have done extensive work on Simpson. The Dolphins (picks 11 and 30), Cardinals (3 and 34) and Browns (6 and 24) brought him in for visits, while the Jets – who own the two first-round picks in this draft (2 and 16), plus the first pick in Round 2 at No. 33 and three first-rounders in 2027 – did a private workout. “If I’m the Jets, I’m Aaron Glenn, I’m drafting the Alabama quarterback. I might even take him at No. 2 overall,” a second NFC coordinator said. “If I’m the front office or the owner, I’m absolutely not.” Said an AFC executive: “He’s the second quarterback. It’s not, like, that surprising. He’s a one-year starter who had half a season of great play, really good play, and a half a season where you’re like ehh that’s probably why he’s a one-year starter. I think he sneaks into the back end (of Round 1).” -- Some Rams reporter/analyst (I think)

-- “I’m definitely looking forward to [Murray’s] speed, his quickness, his arm strength that he’s shown countless times over the years,” Justin Jefferson said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “And then for J.J., for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability, that type of talent, he’s got to step it up a little bit. So it’s good for him to feel that type of pressure and to really lock in a little bit and say, ‘It’s either now or I’m going to take that back seat again.’ So, it’s all a competitive mindset when it comes to these type of things. So it’s all about who’s ready for that moment and who’s ready to step up and take that initiative.”

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://x.com/DrClownPhD/status/2045646305964278019

== New Daily Ranking Series ==

(same intro everyday) Re-doing the 2025 NFL Draft before the 2026 Draft begins...just for fun.

I will rank them tiers and move them around as we go/as it unfolds.

Today: Picks #21-24

Cam Ward (1), Grey Zabel (18), Travis Hunter (2), Tet McMillan (8), Kelvin Banks (9), Armand Membou (7), Tyler Booker (12)

Omarion Hampton (22), Ashton Jeanty (6), Emeka Egbuka (19), Abdul Carter (3), Walter Nolen (16), Donovan Jackson (24), Mykel Williams (11), Derrick Harmon (21), Jahdae Barron (20), Colston Loveland (10), Tyler Warren (14)

Will Campbell (4), Jalon Walker (15), Mason Graham (5), Kenneth Grant (13), Matthew Golden (23), Shermar Stewart (17)

----------------------------------------------------------

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=====================

4/20 MON

(6:41amET)

Today/tomorrow

-- New series underway: A ‘special’ Dynasty Rookie Draft...

A DRD with the rookies from 2025 + 2026 + a special group of specially selected players outside of that. +2 more picks every day.

-- Next Scouting Report ASAP...trying to go through a surge of pro Day data and tapes to get grades on all the prospects and try to find a needle in the haystack for FF.

-- NFL Draft position grades = CB and SAF updates wrapping up ASAP. audits/rechecks QB board adds and update all planned for today.

-- Working on NFL Draft valuations for Big Board 1.0 (Monday post)

This Week’s/Month’s Agenda…

-- Prospect grades by position and rookie rankings boards are being debuted, updated and added to daily/weekly up to kickoff 2026.

-- Dynasty and Best Ball rankings audits/updates daily/weekly. Starting up the IDP studies to try to get them done by early/mid-April.

-- Holy series QB and RB done. Holy RB Handcuffs underway.

-- Full scouting reports on prospects from now until the NFL preseason.

-- Any FFM News & Notes or Special Reports during the day as I get them.

-- More head coaching pressers from 3/30-31 analyzed.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- Draft week...and time is running out before the big day/s!

I am trying to wrap up the latest surge of prospects from the Pro Days to get a good 500 +/- prospects graded and then valued specifically for our NFL Draft valuation Big Board. Trying to put version 1.0 out today, but it might Tuesday.

I lost time Sunday with the NFL Draft betting opportunity/inside intel that came my way and various other conversations pressing my sources/contacts for anything they know or are theorizing.

This is gonna be a crazy week. I’m gonna try to get as much done ahead of Thursday as I can. Any deep prospects we might miss, ones that get drafted that we don’t have grades on...I be grading them ASAP, same day or as fast as I can...and we’ll continue to look at prospects and scout them, grade them, get all the covered up medical data that releases AFTER the draft...we’ll be tilling the draft soli from now until opening day. It doesn’t end with the draft.

-- HEADLINE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Dexter Lawrence is signing a one-year, $28 million contract extension with the Bengals.

So, the Bengals won’t pay Trey Hendrickson but will pay a similar amount to Dexter Lawrence...and give up a #10 overall pick to do it. Got it. makes perfect sense.

I guess after drafting Shermar Stewart 1st-round 2025, bypassing Grey Zabel among others. And then drafting Adarius Mims 1st-round 2024...it’s probably best if Cincy doesn’t have their 1st-round pick...it just goes to waste in their hands.

-- HEADLINE: Georgia WR Zachariah Branch was arrested for misdemeanor obstruction in Athens, GA, on Saturday.

The question isn’t “Why did the police hassle him/ask to move from obstructing an area...were they overbearing?” The question is, “If a guy is days away from a major event like the draft where any little thing/action could cost you hundreds of millions of dollars, and there are cameras everywhere -- why would you make a stand with the police over a simple or a stupid request?”

A situation that required quick thinking and risk management...Branch got on the wrong side of. If he was unfairly targeted, I’m sure there will be video. If he was in the wrong, I’m sure there will be video.

It’s gonna hurt his draft stock a bit, whether it’s fair or unfair. The separation between him and other WRs like him is so thin...this could cause a little tumble behind the pack he runs in for this draft.

-- HEADLINE: New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard reports that Giants general manager Joe Schoen “could be done” after the 2026 NFL Draft.

The speculation comes from “a few league sources.” When John Harbaugh accepted the Giants’ head coaching role, he got it in writing that he would report to owner John Mara, not Schoen. After signing on the dotted line, Harbaugh hired NFL chief football administrative officer Dawn Aponte as the Giants’ new senior vice president of football operations and strategy. Per Leonard, “while Schoen is still running the scouting staff and working some phones, the bulk of the Giants’ operation otherwise reports to Aponte.” Schoen is in the final year of his contract and reportedly has a good relationship with some in the Giants’ ownership group, but his polling among players is not good. They reportedly gave his performance in March a D+ grade, which he refused to “give validity.”

Schoen is effectively ‘done’...just hanging on for a paycheck...whether he lasts past the draft or just the end of the 2026 season. It’s over with him having anything to do with anything real for NYG. Smart move by Harbaugh.

And it shows how utterly weak the owner is...if your players grade the GM a ‘D+’ and your new, long-time respected head coach wants it in writing that the guy has no authority over him -- why are you still paying him?

Schoen got exposed in the Hard Knocks show...and it’s been downhill ever since.

== QUOTES & QUOTABLES (pulled from an internet A.I. search, I try to make sure it’s accurate but some of it is ‘trust in AI’) ==

-- Chargers GM Joe Hortiz said “there are a number of guys out there that are still available” when asked about wideouts and didn’t rule out a reunion with Keenan Allen. “I wouldn’t say the room is complete,” he added.

-- The Athletic’s Daniel Popper also mentioned Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, and Tyreek Hill as “unsigned veteran receivers with scheme familiarity” for new OC Mike McDaniel.

-- Joe Schoen (Giants GM) on the RB room: "We like our running back room now. [Cam] Skattebo had a really good rookie year; Tyrone Tracy has been a 1,000-yard guy. We'll see what happens on draft night." Source: Giants.com / Pre-Draft Presser (4/17)

-- Mike Borgonzi (Titans GM) on Arvell Reese (Ohio State EDGE): "When you look at the physical tools... he's one of the more explosive players I've ever seen in terms of burst and ability to close. He has all the tools."

-- Report: Agent prevented John Harbaugh from talking to Dexter Lawrence.

-- “I know they gave up a lot for me, and I appreciate that. I don’t take that for granted. I have a fire in me,” Dexter Lawrence, who is under contract through 2028, told Geoff Hobson of the team website. “I picked up a little turf on the field. I got chills when I went out there. I just see myself helping this team be where it’s supposed to be. . . . I enjoy pressure. I enjoy being under that type of light. I write down notes, and my notes are, ‘Let my light shine all the time.’ And keep joy. Don’t let anything steal your joy.”

Your moment of Zen for this day...

https://youtube.com/shorts/gckphTrpu2I?si=VJogOyjepFAJ8jiJ

So, there was a coordinated coverup, but only one person gets any punishment?

== New Daily Ranking Series ==

(same intro everyday) Re-doing the 2025 NFL Draft before the 2026 Draft begins...just for fun.

I will rank them tiers and move them around as we go/as it unfolds.

Today: Picks #17-20

Cam Ward (1), Grey Zabel (18), Travis Hunter (2), Tet McMillan (8), Kelvin Banks (9), Armand Membou (7), Tyler Booker (12), Emeka Egbuka (19)

Ashton Jeanty (6), Abdul Carter (3), Walter Nolen (16), Mykel Williams (11), Jahdae Barron (20), Colston Loveland (10), Tyler Warren (14)

Will Campbell (4), Jalon Walker (15), Mason Graham (5), Kenneth Grant (13), Shermar Stewart (17)

----------------------------------------------------------

*How to sign up for our monthly or annual access: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/total-football-advisor

*How to get the free FFM App and FAQs on how to use: https://ffmetrics.com/5663-how-to-get-the-free-ffm-app

*Our Betting Subscription offering (including private Discord chat access): https://ffmetrics.com/betting/betting

=====================