NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL draft

2024 NFL Draft

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It’s that time of year again football fans, as the spring gives way to the thaw of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Eminem has assured us all that he will be giving commissioner Roger Goodell the ‘D’ for tonight, which should pair nicely with the boo’s that he will also receive.
Did we mention that Roger is finally appearing on the Pat McAfee Show for the Draft?
This night is getting even better!

For this edition of the NFL Draft, Wade and Ryan make their picks as to who they think will choose who where and when?
So many possibilities, and that doesn’t even factor into the chance that some teams might be getting QB hungry, and looking to move up to one of the better ones.

To make sure that you get to listen to our 300th episode of our podcast, make sure that you click the link here to get all of the goodness ahead of the big game.

Podcast Highlights

Just to give you a bit of a steer ahead of this Draft, Ryan and Wade have their own little predictions as to who goes where.
So many moving parts in this draft!
Here are some of the things that the guys surmise:

Ryan

-thinks that the #2 pick will be Washington taking Drake Maye
-believes that the Chargers will make a move
-has the Patriots moving to take Michigan alum JJ McCarthy
-Brock Bowers pairs with Aaron Rodgers in New York
-Bo Nix is moving up in the first round
-Buffalo Bills use their only round 1 pick on a receiver.

Wade

-yes, the Bears will take Caleb (he doesn’t like this)
-Minnesota makes a move to trade with Arizona for a QB
-Bears go for O-line at number 9
-Chargers grab Marvin Harrison
-Giants grab DJ a wide receiver
Not too much in the way of spoiler alerts, so if you want to hear how it all goes down, make sure that you have a full listen to the podcast.

Other NFL News

Some other good/ bad and meh news ahead of the Draft, that may or may not factor into player choices.
  • New Orleans Saints offensive tackle James Hurst is retiring after 10 years. Harsh timing to retire the day before the Draft, as the Saints will need another piece to protect Derek Carr.
  • Reggie Bush will get his Heisman Trophy back after the NCAA admits that they ‘got it wrong.’ Ohtani actually bet $1 million that Reggie would get it back, so it all works out.
  • Chicago Bears have released their proposal for a $4 billion dollar makeover on Lake Michigan. It’s the first time in a long time that they have actually considered returning to the downtown core.

Draft Review

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The 2021 NFL Draft is now done and dusted…on with the season!

Ok, so the season is still a summer away, but at least we have this to distract us until then.
Wade & Ryan look at the whole dang draft, (ok-the good bits) in our 2021 Draft Review podcast.

After a year of crappy Covid, it was nice to reach some level or normalcy once again.
Yes, fans were masked and distanced…but they could boo Roger Goodell again!
Say what you will about RG, but his playfulness with the fans on his likeability is refreshing.
He seems to even relish in it year on year.
Keep it up Rog, we need a heel these days.

(but we’ll get to Aaron Rodgers soon)

In terms of winners of the 2021 NFL Draft, the guys will look at all the teams, but also focus on what teams did to enhance their whole squad.
Our 2021 NFL Draft Review winners are:

  1. Chicago Bears

    The Bears came out on top of a draft? Is this some feverish dream? In some sort of odd Tetris scenario, Justin Fields fell to the Bears in an opportunity.
    While the Broncos could have grabbed Fields, they allowed the Bears to move up to swap with the Giants and snag this Ohio State great.
    Add to this a solid OT, and the Bears were able to make something out of nothing.
    Now…what will they do with it.

  2. Miami Dolphins

    Too gets his Waddle, as well as a whole host of talent. Miami is looking to add to a surprising 2020 team by adding more depth in D and the offensive weapons.
    The Dolphins got sweet heat for that pre-Draft trade with the 49ers and Eagles.
    Miami made enough moves to make the AFC East interesting…now it’s only up to Tua.

  3. Cleveland Browns

    The Browns have added more danger to their 2021 squad in their vision for a shot at the AFC title this year. With 8 picks, Cleveland immediately spent 5 of those on D, all of whom could feasibly start this year.
    Where Cleveland really shone was some offensive line steals early on.
    James Hudson will give Baker plenty of protection…and time.

  4. NY Jets

    Will the Jets squander all of their picks only to end up back here in a few years? Sadly, it’s possible. The Jets have the control and responsibility of a crack-head when it comes to their draft picks.
    They make them, break them, then line up again at the trough complaining that they ‘didn’t get a good one.’
    Even a petulant child should only be given so many toys.
    With Adam Gase managing a local Wendy’s, it should give the Jets plenty of inspiration.

  5. LA Chargers

    Are you ready for some support Justin Herbert? The Chargers made some great moves to not only protect Herbert, but to also give him a bit of mustard on D.
    LAC fizzled out on injuries as the season drew on, so it’s good that they found some fresh meat to give Herbert some time downfield.
    With Lynn out, the Chargers could make a hefty push for the AFC playoffs this season.

Have a laugh and a listen to this weeks 2021 Draft Review podcast. Please feel free to share, care and listen in your underwear.

The NFL schedule is released on May 12th, so we should have a better idea of who is coming to London this season.

Draft Hangover

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Draught can give you a wicked hangover. It could be the hops, the barley, the sugar, or the fact that you drowned 13 of them quickly to try to numb the pain that is your NFL fandom. Like the liquid draught, the NFL Draft can bring with it a mighty wallop of a hangover.

So which teams were able to handle the draft, and which ones got so tuned out it may affect their next few years?
Not surprisingly, there were a few boneheaded moves from the draft that could have plenty of reverb in September.

Among some of the hot topics to emerge from the 2021 NFL Draft include.

Pack it in Aaron

If ever there was an NFL model for a tortured relationship, it would be the Green Bay Packers. Despite having a solid QB who tops the league every season, the Pack continue to starve Rodgers as if they are testing him to see how well he will perform without some of his talents.
Green Bay COULD have taken one of the many wide receivers on offer at the draft, and opted to snag another defensive member of the backfield.
The Packers could have let this drama simmer another season had they just given the guy some sign that they were keen on him, and the team making a solid playoff rush in 2021.
Instead, Green Bay now has a pissed of QB who is not only ready to leave, but also point a target on their heads for the rest of his career.
With the amount of cap space the Packers have to eat to deal with Rodgers, you would think that they would have thought this through a bit more.
Ready to suit up Love?

Bear Down

With the Packers struggling (yet still winning) in the NFC North, it was up to Chicago to make something in the 2021 Draft.
Chicago was gifted the chance to move up for Justin Fields at number 11, and traded with the Giants to get him at that spot.
Within a fortnight, Fields went from number two pick, to rumours of him having a heart condition, & other ill health tweets.
This is the kind of crap the Patriots usually spread before using the opportunity to cash in on their needs.
With Nagy and Pace dangling by a career thread, they will need Fields to light them up to the playoffs if this deal is to be considered a success.
The real question is…can they protect him?

Return of the Mac

Mac Jones has a draft body like Tom Brady.
Mac Jones is the new Tom Brady.
Following this logic won’t get you far in correctly making NFL picks, but it might make you feel warm and fuzzy inside if you’re from New England.
New England didn’t even have to make a move to get Jones, as they watched the freefall happen in front of them.
Cam Newton now has a young man he can guide and nourish over the next 5 years before eventually handing the reins to him, or so he might think.
The Patriots splashed on big TE’s and defensive options with their free agency wad, now comes the real test.
How quickly will the Pats be ‘Bills Ready’ for 2021?

Jag Offs

It was no secret that Trevor Lawrence was on the wishlist of the Jags as they kicked off the 2021 Draft.
The Clemson Kid should be the answer to their QB woes, he is the 4th Jacksonville QB selected at number 1.
Urban Myer will be looking to get a little ‘country’ this season, battling elite NFL teams with his collegiate pluckiness and guise.
Where the Jags really went ‘boom’ was their second pick in the first round, taking Travis Etienne at number 25.
This former Clemson running back has played with Lawrence for years, and these two should be able to get back to business quickly.
Florida fans will be looking for a return to the playoffs this season, and anything short of that will have to be considered a massive set back.

 

Ladies and Gettleman

Did Dave Gettleman do good? It’s hard to tell through the ire of the New York sports media, but it seems Dave did good.
Eager to capitalise on Chicago’s need for a QB, the Giants were able to channel the Bears desperation into a good future.
By trading the eleventh pick to the Bears, the Giants were able to parlay this into getting the Bears 20th pick, a 5th round pick and 1st and fourth round picks in 2022.
Not to mention drafting stellar Florida speedster Kadarius Toney, who should offer Daniel Jones a target he can under throw.
Now the Giants just need to shake off that stink of the NFC East.

That’s it for Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft, we will have more action throughout the weekend.

 

 

Wild Draft Predictions

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Life is like a box of chocolates.
Either it gets picked apart by your family, gives you diabetes, or is accidentally left in a car and melts into a goopy puddle.
The point being, you can never be too sure. 

Every year, the NFL Draft hits us with someone wild and wacky-and this year could be no different.
What kind of insane in the membrane trades, moves and hustles could happen in Cleveland this year?
That’s why we have our 2021 Wild Draft Predictions. 

In the NFL the crazier…the more entertaining. 

Pundits and prognosticators have all pulled their polls to make their sure thing bets.
But are they sure things?
Trevor Lawrence is first out and off to the Jaguars? Maybe.
https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/nfl/draft-odds/
Kyle Pitts can play every position. Really?
The Bears will screw up the draft…ok, that’s possible. 

To honour the wackiness that is the NFL Draft, we have tallied a bunch of ‘out there’ predictions for the 2021 NFL Draft.
From fades to trades, bold calls to wild conjecture….we have it all for you.

So let’s get in with some of the most out there NFL predictions to cover our betting butts. 

1. Trevor Lawrence to the CFL

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? Well the NFL couldn’t.
After a blockbuster move to secure the XFL and partner it with the CFL, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson makes his biggest move by convincing Trevor Lawrence to eschew the NFL and head north young man.
Lawrence heads to Saskatchewan to train with the Roughriders, before taking over his own franchise the Newfoundland Nuggets. 

2. Justin Fields Forever

Rumours began to circulate that something was up with Justin Fields, and that perhaps he wasn’t what or whom he appeared to be.
On Draft Day that becomes apparent when the Zoom camera pans in on Fields and his family, only to reveal Colin Kaepernick.
As it turns out, Colin has kidnapped Fields and his family for one last shot at greatness.
Despite numerous blood transfusions and bone grafts Kaep once again fails to deliver for his team.
Fields is eventually released by Colin and the captors, but once again-the damage is already done. 

3. Manziel Mania

The NFL Draft is in Cleveland?
Johnny Manziel is ‘Mr Cleveland’!
Manziel decides to take his shot at crashing the 2021 NFL Draft to promote his new vaccine ‘Johnny Football’, aptly named as it is made from rendered pigskin.
To promote the event, Manziel hires idiot/dunce Jake Paul to deliver the vaccines to people by ‘punching it in their face.’
Paul uses the platform to announce his upcoming fight against the all of the patients in a children’s hospital.
If the children can beat him, he will give them a ‘shout-out’.

4. Jets get an 8 Ball

After years of bad draft picks, the New York Jets have let it slip that they have a new tool for drafting this year…the Magic 8 Ball.
Instead of using sports science, the Jets are opting to let magic be their guide to post season glory.
New head coach Robert Saleh will franticly shake the ball prior to each round to find their ‘yes’ ‘no’ and ‘maybe’s for 2021.
Unfortunately for Saleh, owner Woody Johnson likes the ‘pluck’ of the 8 ball and decides to fire all of his coaching staff to let it coach the Jets in 2022.
They make it to the AFC final. 

5. Ballin’ Bezos

Jeff Bezos is rolling in it.
From the billions he made from selling off Amazon shares, to his neighbours wife who he took just because he could…everything is rolling up JB!
Bezos goes full baller this NFL Draft when he rolls in without a team and announcing ‘I’m not leaving here without my own team.’
Jaws drop, wallets are rummaged and Bezos walks out with not one, but 2 NFL teams. 

Amazonian Jeff not only snags the Chargers for his trophy case, but also snags the Buffalo Bills ‘in case he wants wings.’
As he leaves, Bezos ‘makes it rain’ dolla bills, with images of Usher on every bill. 

Those are our bold predictions for the 2021 NFL Draft, what are yours?
Make sure you listen to our post Draft podcast this week to see how close we all were.

Rushing Leaders-Week 3

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The real star of the 2020 season thus far seems to be injuries, as it’s taken down more teams than expected. Of course, we did expect a few injuries due to a lack of preseason and the physical and mental tolls of Covid 19, but this is pretty huge.

Saquon Barkley’s injury was horribly impactful on the Giants, although it looked like he wasn’t fully healthy in that game even prior to the ACL. Devonta Freeman has been picked up, but it’s doubtful if he can make a real impact on the season ahead.

Looking at the top RBs thus far, it’s Aaron Jones in the lead, after a monstrous beatdown of the hapless Lions. Rodgers has used him effectively in pass and run situations, despite the team not really drafting any help on offence.

Henry has been another boom for the Titans, as they take their undefeated record further in week 3. Tannehill has looked better, which takes the heat off of Henry in third down situations. Not sure if he can keep up the pace, but a good start to the season.

Zeke has been instrumental in the Cowboys big start, although he looked like a toy in week 1 when Aaron Donald used him to smack Dak. They will need Zeke to keep up the big numbers if they want to done and dust the NFC East.

Nick Chubb and the Browns started out slow thanks to a drubbing at the hands of the Ravens, but his week 2 performance against the Bengals was smashing. The 1-2 punch of Chubb and Hunt make them formidable for when Baker Mayfield is fromage.

Josh Jacobs is simmering to a good start to the season, and looked good in the Raiders win over the Saints. Gruden has orchestrated some good drives this season for the Raiders, so if he keeps it up, Jacobs will stay in the top 5.

Who do you like this week? Who have you picked up on the waiver wire? It’s a big week ahead, stay healthy everyone.