Kyler Murray is up there with one of the hardest evals I have ever done. Taking away the fact that the question of whether he is even playing Football looms over him like a cloud, but strictly as a football player, he has question marks. However, he still ends up as my highest graded QB in this draft as of right now. When watching Kyler, the first things that immediately jump out are his elite athleticism and quickness in open space, and his cannon for an arm. Yes he is Doug Flutie little, but the problem with being that small usually is they don’t have the arm talent to make up for it, but this is not the case with Kyler, as he routinely makes NFL throws. When you watch him play, he just looks like a natural. His accuracy and placement are pretty good, although inconsistent, but the potential for a really good NFL QB is there. There is a reason this guy won the Heisman. However, there are legitimate questions. To begin, his size and weight are a serious concern. He’s 5’10 on a good day, and is a lot smaller in bulk compared to guys like WIlson, Mayfield, and Brees. He is a great athlete, but he has lacked progression in being able to go through his 2nd and 3rd reads due to the fact that he can immediately leave the pocket, but that is college, and that will not work in the pros. He constantly makes questionable decisions, almost having too much confidence in his arm to make any throw. Like Baker last year, due to his very good o-line, he has a bad habit of holding onto the ball too long. In addition to all of this, he played in the Big 12, and the rumors are in fact true, there is no defense played whatsoever. All those concerns, along with the whole baseball thing makes me nervous as an NFL team to take him high in the draft. However, if I had to bet on one guy in this god awful QB class, it would be him. I can envision him cleaning up some of his issues, and if he really dedicates himself along with adding some weight, he can be a very good starter in the NFL.

 

Strengths

Athleticism

Acceleration/Speed

Elite Arm strength

Velocity/Zip on ball

Pretty accurate

Improvising

“Natural”

Potential

 

 

Weakness

Decision Making

Tries fitting balls into windows too tight

Pocket Presence(Leaving Pocket too soon)

1 read and go

No concept of reading defenses

Struggles going through progressions

Holds onto the ball too long

Baseball?

Height and Weight

Big 12 defenses

 

 

Grade:86

Pro Comp: Smaller Russell Wilson

Dwayne Haskins

With every draft class, I always start with quarterbacks. It is the most discussed position for good reason, as it is by far the most important. For any team in need of a QB in this draft, well you’re out of luck, because I do not have one QB with a round 1 grade. The consensus by most media draft analysts is that Dwayne Haskins, QB out of Ohio State, is a cut above the rest. But after watching hours of tape on this guy, I have come to the conclusion that it would be foolish for the Giants, Jaguars, or any team in need of a QB to take this guy, as I don’t see the hype for him at all. Actually, that is incorrect. I do see why so many people like him. When you look at his strengths, it pretty clear that he has a lot of desirable tools for a franchise QB. He has ideal size, a very good arm, he is smart with the football, and excels in the short to intermediate portion of the field, where he can be very accurate. He has a very clean throwing motion. He looks the part. However, when you look closer, you see a flawed prospect with many question marks. My main issue with him is his aggressiveness. Yes, he has a nice arm. But too often on tape, he checks down to a seven yard drag route instead of pushing the ball down the field. I can count on my fingers how my times this guy took shots down the field. It is why his deep field accuracy is horrible. When he decides to throws the ball down the field, he misses badly unless the guy is wide open, outside of a great throw he made against TCU. It is very frustrating to watch this guy, because he is almost too careful with the ball. Not only does he lack aggression, but he panics under pressure. He has a good feel for how to move within the pocket, however he doesn’t sense pressure well, and when faced with pressure, his footwork and field vision go down the toilet. He consistently throws off his back foot, which would be a disaster at the next level. All of this makes it hard for me to get a grasp of him as a prospect. He has a lot of the tools to become a very good QB, but my gut is screaming at me bust, a guy who will be a fine starter, but lacks the alpha in him to live up to his potential. Any team who takes him and expects to plug him into their lineup will be disappointed by the result.

 

Strengths

Short/Mid accuracy

Arm strength

Good decision maker

Reads defenses well

can go through progressions when given time

Potential

Size

Anticipation throws

Upper body Mechanics; Throwing Motion clean

Can move around in the pocket

 

Weakness

Aggressiveness

Pocket presence/Feeling pressure

Mobility

Checks down too often

Panics under pressure

Deep accuracy inconsistent

Placement

Footwork

Tendency to throw off back foot

Grade:83

Pro comp: Alex Smith

10. All the Stars- Kendrick Lemar ft. SZA- The best song off of the Black Panther soundtrack, although both Pray for me and Kings Dead are pretty descent, and one of the best chorus’ of the year. Kendrick holds his own on this song, because of course he does he’s the best rapper alive, however the star of the show is SZA. Although repetitive, that chorus with the beautiful instrumentation and her powerful vocals create one of the best choruses of 2018.

9. Gods Plan- Drake- 2018 will forever go down as the year of Drake. 4 number one hits, along with countless records broken for streams and hits on the hot 100. This was the year that Drake solidified himself as the premier artist of the decade, and even though he is one of my favorite artists, even I was a little sick of Drake by the end of 2018. Maybe there can be too much of a good thing. However, that doesn’t mean Drake did not make some absolute bangers. Drake is a legend for a reason, and he started out 2018 with one of his best hit songs to date. No one line in 2018 will be remembered more then “I only love my bed and my momma Im sorry”. While this song is Drake just bragging about how great his life is, per usual, it works due to the nice flow it has. This isn’t Drakes best work, but it is so iconic that I always find myself going back to it, even though it has worn off on me a little due to overplay.

8. Sicko Mode- Travis Scott ft. Swae Lee and Drake- Travis Scott is a very interesting artist. He isn’t a great rapper, and he can’t sing to save his life, but he is such a gifted producer that every song he creates has this atmosphere that is undeniable. His number one hit “Sicko Mode” is no exception. This song is three songs in one, changing flows like its Bohemian Rhapsody. The beats are so good that it doesn’t matter that Travis Scott is spitting his same meaningless lyrics, and Drake is bragging about taking prescription drugs properly. It just works in a way I can’t describe.

7. Finesse- Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B- Bruno Mars has gotten so good at making retro music that it is getting unfair. Im not sure if the whole 80’s vibe that Bruno has been doing for 5 years now will ever get old, but Im not going to complain because he makes damn good music. Finesse is Bruno bragging about how great him and a girl look together, and despite how shallow that concept might seem, he just sells it. He is such a great singer, and behind awesome production he can sell anything. Cardi b is also in this, and even though I don’t love her verses, she adds even more fun to this song.

6. Tequila- Dan + Shay- Believe me when I say that I am not a country fan. Not in the slightest. But in 2018, a couple country songs found its way onto the Hot 100, so I gave them a listen. I fell in love with “Tequila” the first time I heard it. Its instrumentation is basic and the lyrics are pretty simple, but the execution of it just works. It’s about a guy who is looking back on a relationship with a girl, and how everytime he tastes tequila, all the memories of her, both good and bad, come rushing back. Its a simple yet lovable song, and one that I will always go back to.

5. How Long- Charlie Puth- Charlie Puth’s career arc is a fascinating one to say the least. He is actually from my hometown, but despite this, I hated his music. Marvin Gaye was a sex song that wasn’t sexy in the slightest, One Call Away sounded like a wimp writing checks he couldn’t cash, and We don’t Talk Anymore is just whiny. However, he did a complete 180, as I love the new direction he is going in. He has learned how to use his strengths as a singer, as well as having awesome production, create incredible baselines. How Long was a minor hit, but it’s such a good song. The lyrics are okay, but the reason it works is the music. It’s so pleasant to the ear, and that production along with Charlie’s Falsetto just get stuck in your head. The best way to describe this song is cool, something no one saw coming from Charlie three years prior.

4. Marry Me- Thomas Rhett- Another country song? Yup. This song is absolutely heartbreaking to listen to. It is about a guy who has been in love with a girl he has been friends with, and this girl is now getting married, although you don’t learn this until the end of the chorus when Rhett says “Yeah she wants to get married, but she don’t want to marry me”. The storytelling in this song is so well done, as you feel every emotion that Rhett does.The climax of the song is the bridge, when the day of the wedding has finally arrived and he is debating whether he should say something, but ultimately swallows his feelings because he doesn’t want to ruin it for her. It is my favorite country song of all time, and a song that hits me hard every time I hear it.

3. Eastside- Benny Blanco ft. Khalid and Halsey- This song is The Chainsmokers “Closer” but with tighter production and better vocals. It’s about two people looking back on a relationship and seeing how happy and good it was. The fond memories of them growing up together, and realizing how stupid they were for losing it. Ive listened to this song hundreds of times, but I have not gotten sick of it in the slightest. Blanco creates a great, soothing beat, and Halsey and Khalid’s voices work so well together. This song has such a nostalgic feel, that it could really apply to anyone.

2. Delicate- Taylor Swift- After my first listen to the album reputation, I didn’t think much about Delicate. It was both well produced and well written, but it was so low key that it was just sort of there, it didn’t stand out to me. But over time, it has grown on me to the point where it is one of my favorite songs of the last couple years, and in most years would top the list of best hit songs. The song revolves around taylor talking about a new relationship and how this guy must really like her for her because her reputation has never been worse. Its sweet on the surface, but once you dig deeper, it is sort of sad in a way. The daily questioning that celebrities must have to encounter every day about whether the people in their lives actually care about them is one that I hadn’t really thought of before. We as a society forget that celebrities are humans too. They have human emotions just like us, and they crave genuine interaction and friendship just like us. We forget that sometimes because of how celebrities are viewed as larger than life, so we dehumanize them in a way. This song perfectly displays this feeling, as Taylor feels like she has found a real love for the first time in a long time, but is afraid to dive in because of her history of not being able to determine what is real and what isn’t. But the line “My reputation has never been worse, so he must like me for me” is one that is so honest and real that it hits me every damn time, because it is sad to think that the only reason she has to think something is real is because the other person doesn’t have anything to gain from it.  Its not Taylor’s best song, but its up there for sure. The song is sung and produced in a delicate fashion, done on purpose due to the situation she has being one that is “delicate”. Great track on an underrated album by one of the defining talents of this decade.

1. Nice for What- Drake- While I love Delicate, Nice For What beat it out by a hair. This song doesn’t make me think like Delicate does, but it is one of the most upbeat songs I have heard in a long time and never fails to put a smile on my face. In a year where everything in Music seemed so dark and low key to the point of boredom, Nice For What was a breath of fresh air. Drake is given a beat he can work with, and it allowed him to make his best song since Take Care. Drake is praising Women everywhere, and it really does come off as genuine unlike girls like you by Maroon 5. The production of the song is what gives this song its catchiness, but Drake is the one that elevates it. He is having so much fun on this track, a concept I feel like has been forgotten in the music industry. That alone put this song in the top 5, but it’s replay ability, concept, production, vocals, and the enjoyment I get each time I listen to it puts it on the top for me. Here’s to hoping 2019 has more music like this.