Josh Kingsley
I have an admission: I enjoy watching the draft. I like the lead up, but cannot really get into the projection and analysis on a deep level. Let me elaborate on that last part more. I have a hard time getting into the CHIEFS pick spots in the build up because it all simply seems like a crap shoot. The draft itself is a living, breathing, unpredictable proposition, especially in the back half of the first round. Every major network and analyst gives their first round mock, and some go as far as to include trades. My reality is no one knows what is going to happen at all, but a top 5-ish speculation at least seems possible. Anything beyond the obvious stuff from the worst teams is setting unrealistic expectations.
In short, most of my commentary at this point profiles toward the hopes, dreams, thoughts and feelings… side of the aisle. This type of thinking and projecting is great for discussion, but not always productive for business. I always go into the actual draft first round with a bunch of notes and an eagerness to see it all play out, but little expectation. A good draft includes surprise slips the CHIEFS can take and lack of “why would you do that” moments. All this is something to keep in mind when seeing my commentary around the draft, which will come after my signature side bars.
America’s Past Time
Baseball is back and I’m into it deep!! My biggest baseball con at the moment is the lack of a TV deal. There simply aren’t enough games on and available. Let me implicate myself directly: all that pick one team stuff I touted in the Simmons article I referenced last week falls on my deaf ears with regard to baseball. I’m a total “that guy” with the sport openly supporting three teams: Royals, Rockies, Brewers. How do I live with myself? It comes down to three things:
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Baseball is and has always been my favorite sport to watch and play. It’s easy to access, physical but not strenuous, and family and leisure friendly. However, as previously noted, the interest waned a bit in recent seasons. Our 2020 Covid season kept me from the ballpark, which strained the love. Recent debates over the game’s rules hurt some too.
The Baseball Problems
Baseball’s problems are public and notable. The ones that resonated with me are the game length and shift rules. The shift D never sat well with me. My main issue was the presence of an expected outcome. Important note: I never cared for the DH preferring the pitcher to bat even though it created an expected outcome. Again, personal hypocrisy with a side of shoulder shrug. Much to my chagrin, MLB brought the universal DH to the National League. I didn’t like, survived and it’s no longer an issue. The pitcher was an almost automatic out, teams made it clear they had no intention of correcting it, and baseball made a rule change. I have to amend that last comment: baseball wisely made a rule change.
Getting back to the shift. All my sensibilities align with the likes of George Brett: just hit the ball the other way. Well, hitters no longer train to spread the ball, and they aren’t going to correct it for the time being. Baseball stepped in with anti-shift rules, and I like it.
The real elephant in the room was timing. I say was and use past tense purposefully. All the clocks and such gave me pause. Baseball is a rhythm sport, and I shared the concern about creation of an imbalance. However, I was getting pretty sick of the 3+ hour games. Taking the family to the ballpark is common. The kids pretty much never made it to the end, and we never felt bad showing up in the 3rd. Well, I went to the game Tuesday. First pitch was 6:40, and we were home by 9:15. This included catching a shuttle back to the restaurant. All the measures to keep the game moving are awesome. Biggest step moving forward is being on time.
Windy City Weekend
My first interaction with the faster pace came Saturday. We hosted a multi-location Complete meeting in Chicago, and Cubs-Brewers at Wrigley made the agenda. The temp was mid 30s and in true Chicago fashion it was plenty windy. Another way to describe the experience was… freaking cold. The proper Wrigley experience includes two things: bleacher seats and the 7th inning stretch. Wrigley bleachers over the ivy are the definition of baseball seats. The Harry Caray rendition and/or impersonation of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is prominent baseball lore. Main thing of note is you don’t leave Wrigley before the 7th inning stretch.
Like I said it was cold. My group glued eyes on the game, but also the box score yearning for that 39th total out. The new game speed rules got us there before we all froze. Baseball games are moving faster and that’s a great thing.
Last baseball note: this Brewers team looks awesome. Baseball is a marathon but they are scoring at will right now. If this keeps up there is some fun October action coming.
Jayhawks, Champs No More
College basketball concluded the weirdest March Madness I can recall. Statistical history, first Elite 8 without a #1 seed, starts to tell the story. UConn returning to the top was odd as well. A lack of any true blue blood threat was wild. However, the true mark of the craziness came from my bracket pool. I, like many, fill out at least one bracket every year. This year I did one and put the same bracket in two spots. I cannot call myself an expert, but I follow the sport and generally have a clue. You would never know looking at this bracket. My final tallies:
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I don’t think I could try to assemble a bad bracket and do worse. This field projected to be wide open and UConn received plenty of picks, but Madness doesn’t really scratch the surface.
My bigger pool was almost as bad as my bracket. I cannot remember a time when a winner tallied less than 1,300-ish points. This year’s top 3 point totals: 800, 550, 540. No one picked UConn to win, and one person, the bracket winner, had UConn in the Final Four. No one saw this coming. UConn was a trendy pick coming from a resurgent Big East. Conversely, they also spent almost a decade in mediocrity, took 4th in the conference regular season, and lost the conference tourney title game. No one saw this dominant run coming. The low tournament ratings suggest no one wanted it either.
Jayhawks and Closing Out CBB
Kansas ended it’s season via round two loss to Arkansas. The Razorbacks were trendy offseason title picks that underwhelmed in the regular season. That along with their status as defending champs eased the blow. Until Monday I could refer to the Jayhawks as defending champs. UConn made some history of their own joining Duke and Indiana in the 5-time champ club. Only UCLA (11), Kentucky (8) and North Carolina (6) have more. The Huskies are undisputedly now, a blue blood.
Early college basketball seasons feature the Champions Classic. A two game set in a major city features rotating matchups of Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State. I love the field, but it needs a refresh. By refresh I mean more teams, and I’ve felt this way for a while. UCLA, North Carolina, UConn and Indiana need to join. Villanova and their three titles has grounds to ask for Michigan State’s spot while we’re at it.
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Current Draft Talk and Takes
My opening suggested thoughts surround the draft. I have literally no clue how this first round plays out… because I don’t trust the current draft order. My gut tells me there are masses of trades coming. Some of it is the early returns of big moves, but an equal or greater amount is simply a feeling.
The League is chasing Mahomes, Burrow and whatever other top order you choose in the current NFL QB class. Early picks are shaping to become a QB arms race. As a whole this helps teams like the CHIEFS who have that spot secured. Every QB picking team leaves a top flight non-QB on the board. The CHIEFS currently pick 31st. Veach has enough picks to trade up, but I question the probability enough to not predict it. I have to assume #31 is the spot.
Round 1, Pick 31
It’s anyone’s guess who remains in the pool when KC’s number is called. Last week I talked about my positional targets for the early rounds, and I stand by those. The 1-30 seems to stir up often. I looked at four mock results: SI, CBS, NFL four-round, PFF three-round. Here is what I see the experts saying:
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If things go this way Jalin Hyatt will profile as a reach by KC, but falling into the perfect position of having Mahomes at KC. NFL.com has them trading up to 22 to make the pick. PFF also has KC reaching, but for RT Dawand Jones.
I dug into these guys.
Jalin Hyatt – WR – Tennessee
Let’s get to know a strong maybe in the draft better. I read the draft reports from the four mentioned sites and the notes are roughly the same:
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The bullets above give me a couple thoughts/conclusions. First, this guy is raw with tons of upside. His ability to shine and thrive in the NFL hinges on him getting in the right offense. The Kansas City CHIEFS profile correctly for about any WR. His best shot of hitting his upside, WR #1, is landing with KC or another high powered offense. The inherent risk is him not developing.
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Second conclusion is fear he never makes it to #31. Hyatt is the top athlete in this WR class. The correct coach refines his skill, adds to his route tree, and harnesses his speed. A proper coaching, strength and nutrition program adds his needed bulk. That player is a lethal slot and deep threat WR. The coaching staffs and teams that pull this off are few. The count of teams that believe they can do this are plentiful. It is not difficult to picture a cocky Mark Davis, Josh McDaniels combo believing they have the formula to make this work.
I put his availability at pick #31 around 25%… max. If, and this is a big if, he is on the board at #31 I can picture Veach and Co. taking him.
The Hyatt Fit
I am all on board and see this working well if these factors happen:
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The CHIEFS are building the WR corps on youth, speed and upside. Hyatt has all three is abundance.
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Dawand Jones – RT – Ohio State
Jones started his Ohio State tenure in 2020 at LT, but only played 80 snaps. The past two season he anchored a title contender on the right side. Notes from draft profiles:
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Pick 31 is early for RT, but there is no such thing as too much Patrick protection. Will I be a bit underwhelmed seeing a true RT come off the board to end the round one night in KC? Yeah. Will it suck seeing Patrick Mahomes on his feet for entire games? Not at all. My take on Jones is simple: this pick makes a ton of sense if Veach doesn’t see a WR or Edge at 31. Protecting the best QB in the League is always great business.
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Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and ArrowheadKingdom
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