SPORTS COLUMNIST MAKES FINAL DRAFT PREDICTIONS

Column by Kenny Ward.

It’s almost here. Day one of the NFL Draft. April 25th. The day the dreams of many athletes will come true. It’s a great day. This is the last mock draft we will publish before it happens, but don’t worry, we aren’t done with the draft coverage yet. No spoilers though. Without further ado, let’s get into the final *NFL Mock Draft before the real thing happens.

(*Here’s how it will work. If the pick remains the same from the last mock draft, not much depth will be given. If there is a change, I will give a detailed reason. There will be no trades included in the mock drafts. Positions and colleges are included.)

1. Chicago Bears: Quarterback Caleb Williams, USC

In this mock draft I still have the Bears taking Caleb Williams. He is a star player, and that is just what the bears need. Plain and simple.

2. Washington Commanders: Quarterback Drake Maye, UNC

The Commanders are also in need of a player at quarterback. People have their doubts about Maye, but he is a serious athlete who can bring this Washington offense to life. This is definitely the pick here, unless Jayden Daniels impresses the organization more.

3. New England Patriots: Quarterback Jayden Daniels, LSU

In the last mock draft I had the Patriots taking Marvin Harrison Jr. This draft I have it changed. I do think they could still possibly look for quarterback talent later in the draft, but Jayden Daniels has proved himself as a star. If they look to draft a quarterback, this is the guy they will go with and for good reason.

4. Arizona Cardinals: Wide Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State University

They still take a wide receiver here but now they get most likely the best one in the draft. Harrison has the ability to change an offense. The Cardinals need an overhaul. Simple as that. The Kyler Murry, Marvin Harrison, and Trey McBride duo will be one of the best in the league if used correctly

5.  Los Angeles Chargers: Wide Receiver Malik Nabers, LSU

So, I may or may not have had Brock Bowers to the Chargers as my “lock of the draft”, and now I have changed my mind. Do not get me wrong, I do think that Bowers is a great fit with the Chargers. I just think they will go different directions and take another playmaker in Malik Nabers. They could definitely use a man like him after getting rid of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Any receiving threat they get at this pick will help, but Nabers is a prime player and is hard to pass up on.

6. New York Giants: Quarterback J.J. McCarthy

Daniel Jones IS NOT the answer, but the top three quarterbacks in the draft have been taken. J.J McCarthy is just as good as them though. He is well rounded and has worked in a pro-style offense. He may turn out like Will Levis did last year, but that won’t matter. He is a great player with championship experience and a good motor. 

7. Tennessee Titans: Wide Receiver Rome Odunze, Washington

Speaking of Will Levis, he gets a weapon here with Rome Odunze. They have Calvin Ridley now, and if they go skill player, they can draft a dangerous three headed dragon.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Edge Rusher Dallas Turner, Alabama

Again, I honestly thought that the Falcons would have gone defense at pick number eight last year. This year I have them going Edge Rusher with Dallas Turner and bolstering the front seven.

9. Chicago Bears: Offensive Tackle Joe Alt, Notre Dame

They could do a few things with this pick, but protection for their new Quarterback is not too shabby of an idea. If they really want to revamp things, they need to start off by setting up Caleb Williams for success.

10. New York Jets: Tight End Brock Bowers, Georgia

Brock Bowers, the best Tight End of the entire draft, and one of the best prospects in the past 20 years, has taken a tumble. He lands in a slightly rebuilding playoff hopeful New York Jets organization. Having Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball will be a great look.

11. Viking: Cornerback Terrion Arnold, Alabama

It feels like the Vikings consistently have secondary problems. Terrion Arnold will hopefully be the answer to their woes.

12. Denver Broncos: Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo

The Broncos are a toss up here. Without a doubt they will go defense unless they trade up. They could go Edge here, but they need a cornerback to bolster down the opposite side of Pat Surtian. Quinyon Mitchell is a good young player, even though he’s not from a big name school.

13. Las Vegas Raiders: Offensive Tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State

The Raiders are going with an offensive lineman here. They need help everywhere, but they play it safe with Fashanu. 

14. New Orlean Saints: Offensive Tackle Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State

The Saints also need help on the offensive line, and will take Fuaga, the senior bowl standout from Oregon State to try and correct the wrongs done by Andrus Peat and Trevor Penning.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Cornerback Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Cooper DeJean is a cornerback, no matter what you say. He is also very physical, and a very good tackler. The Colts lost a corner in Kenny Moore II, and now replace him with a very good young player. Golden star for them.

16. Seattle Seahawks: Edge Jared Verse, Florida State University

I have changed my mind on offense line for the Seahawks. While it is still a need, Jared Verse has fallen directly into their laps. Getting him to help their mid tier defense is a miracle and a match made in heaven.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Defensive Lineman Byron Murphy, Texas

The interior defensive line for the Jaguars is nothing special. They can draft a good defensive tackle to start right away here in Byron Murphy. This will boost the front seven up and give help to Josh Allen. 

18. Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive Tackle Troy Fautanu, Washington

They no longer have Orlando Brown or Jonah Williams, so they are looking for an offensive lineman to try and keep Joe Burrow healthy for the first time in a while. They go with Troy Fautanu here. He has big-game experience, and is a body they can attempt to use to protect Burrow.

19. Los Angeles Rams: Edge Laiatu Latu, UCLA

Aaron Donald just retired so now they need someone, anyone on the front seven. Laiatu Latu is an experimental player but has a great upside if taught well. Another player who was like that is Aaron Donald. Maybe history will repeat itself.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive Tackle J.C. Latham, Alabama

The Steelers have two starting caliber quarterbacks now, and they should want to keep them healthy. Drafting offensive line here is the safest option. J.C. Latham pairing up with Broderick Jones is scary.

21. Miami Dolphins: Offensive Tackle Armarius Mims, Georgia

Tua Tagovailoa is very injury prone. Drafting someone who can possibly help him stay healthy is a great idea, no matter what. Armarius Mims can help do so.

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Cornerback Nate Wiggins, Clemson

The Eagles are very solid all around. They did struggle somewhat in the secondary last year, so drafting Nate Wiggins can help them bolster up there.

23. Minnesota Vikings from Houston Texans: Defensive Lineman Jer’Zahn Newton, Illinois 

I still have Jer’Zahn Newton going here. The Vikings lost Danielle Hunter and now need to add someone to the front seven. Newton is young, and very talented. He can fill the gap if needed.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Wide Receiver Brian Thomas Jr., LSU

Somehow, the Cowboys are low on wide receivers. CeeDee Lamb is the only above average player they have there. Brian Thomas can pair up with him and cause problems for opposing defenses.

25. Green Bay Packers: Interior Offensive Lineman Graham Barton, Duke

The Packers are decent on the interior offensive line. Graham Barton can help add depth, and can slide in and perform if needed.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge Demeioun Robinson, Penn State

When the Buccaneers last won a superbowl, Shaquille Barrett was in his prime. Now, they are looking for another star Edge Rusher. Demeioun Robinson can be that guy and help make the defense elite again.

27. Arizona Cardinals: Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

The Cardinals need defensive help. Kool-Aid McKinstry was a top five pick during the beginning of the year. If the Cardinals can get that version of him, they will have the steal of the draft.

28.   Buffalo Bills: Wide Receiver Adonai Mitchell, Texas

The Bills don’t have even a subpar wide receiver on the team right now. They look rough. Adonai Mitchell will give Josh Allen an option to throw to and will hopefully answer some questions on the offense.

29.  Detroit Lions: Interior Offensive Lineman, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

Jackson Powers-Johnson may be the best lineman in the entire draft, but he is a center. He can slide in and replace Frank Ragnow when he ages out of the spot, and can also help at both of the guard spots if needed,

30. Baltimore Ravens: Offensive Tackle Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma

The Ravens lost Morgan Moses and Kevin Zeitler. Ronnie Stanley is very injury prone. If they get someone who can stay on the field with Tyler Guyton, they should be sitting pretty.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Wide Receiver Ladd McConkey, Georgia

There has been talks about some 49er Wide Receivers moving around. Drafting Ladd McConkey for depth is not a bad idea. Even if he doesn’t start he can help as a role player.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Wide Receiver Troy Franklin, Oregon

They did pick up Marquise Brown in the offseason, but one player will not revamp a whole position. They need to change it drastically and Troy Franklin is another step in the right direction . 

As we count down the hours until the draft, the suspense builds for the shocks that will inevitably happen. The draft looks like it will be exciting and surprising yet again this year. That’s it for now. As we always say. Stay Scoutin’.

**all information found on espn.com**

SPORTS COLUMNIST MAKES FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR THE NFL AWARDS

Column by Kenny Ward.

As the regular season comes to a close, the NFL awards will soon be handed out. There will be some shockers, some no doubters, and probably a guy that has not played a snap all season will get an award. We do not know it yet for a fact, but we can guess.

Most Valuable Player: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
I do not care who you are, Lamar Jackson is the MVP. The MVP is not just a statistics award. It is the most valuable player to any team. Jackson is just that. He has kept this Ravens team winning, even if he’s not posting eye opening stats. He is the bread and butter of this Ravens team.
Preseason pick: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Midseason pick: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Offensive Player Of the Year: Christian McCaffery, San Francisco 49ers
People will argue that McCaffery should be the MVP, but the 49ers have so many other studs that it is easy for him to perform at a high level. He leads the league in rushing yards and first downs, and is third in the league for rushing touchdowns. He has been a juggernaut this season for an already dominant 49ers team.
Preseason pick: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Midseason pick: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

Defensive Player Of the Year: Miles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
This award is going to be a tight race, but I do think that Garrett will get the award. With the defensive line he has, you would have thought the production would have come to a halt, but he is still producing DPOY numbers.
Preseason pick: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Midseason pick: Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings

Offensive Rookie Of the Year: Puka Nacua, LA Rams
He is a stud. A record breaker too. He now owns the record for most receiving yards and receptions in a rookie season. What more is there to say? A certified STUD.
Preseason pick: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Midseason pick: Puka Nacua, LA Rams

Defensive Rookie Of the Year: Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Like I said in my last awards predictions, there was not a crazy amount of buzz coming from this year’s defensive rookies. Devon Witherspoon was on fire for a small amount of time, but has still played decently well.
Preseason pick: Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans
Midseason pick: Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks

Comeback Player Of the Year: Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
This award has been a little weird. People really want Damar Hamlin, but the fact of the matter is he has not done much of anything this season. Joe Flacco on the other hand came off the couch and is now performing like the elite quarterback he used to be. Quite the comeback I must say.
Preseason pick: Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens
Midseason pick: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Raven

Coach Of The Year: John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
He’s leading this absolutely loaded and stellar Ravens team arguably better than when he won his last COTY award. Lamar has grown into a thrower, the last few draft classes have been master classes. John Harbaugh is really looking good this year.
Preseason pick: Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Midseason pick: Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

Team of the year: Baltimore Ravens
Again, like I said, the Ravens are loaded. Defense is great, offense is great, drafting was great, free agency was great. They are the team to beat in the playoffs.
Previous pick: Philadelphia Eagles ( I said they were unstoppable, I was wrong)

Super Bowl matchup: Ravens vs 49ers, Ravens win
A Christmas Day rematch? Don’t mind if I do. These two teams look to be the most dominant in the league right now. The ravens throttled them last time they played. I think it will be a closer matchup this time but the ravens will still pull away with the win.
Preseason and midseason picks: Ravens vs Eagles, Eagles win

Those are my final guesses for the NFL award winners. This was a great season to watch. Almost every game was eventful… except for the Raiders vs Vikings game. That was rough. Now it is on to the playoffs. See you all next time, and as we always say, Stay Scoutin’.

SPORTS COLUMNIST LOOK AT COLLEGE FOOTBALL DURING THE MID-SEASON MARK

Column by Kenny Ward.

After seven weeks of college football, there really does not seem to be a defined Top 25. Higher ranked teams are losing to lower ranked teams. Teams annually known to be bottom teams in D1 football are giving Top 10 teams a hard time. College football is wild this year. So let’s talk about it.

As for local colleges, the only ranked Indiana team is Notre Dame. Locally closer to here is Louisville, who is also ranked. Kentucky just dropped outside of the top 25 after an embarrassing loss to Missouri. Indiana and Purdue are nowhere near the top 25, let alone might I say the top 50 in college football. WKU continues to be mid-tier. Indiana State is 0-6, Ball State is 1-5, somebody get them some oxygen. That really caps it off for any local teams.

Speaking of Kentucky, what in the world is going on. Coming into the season, I would have pegged them as my dark horse of the SEC, and not because of bias, I swear. Devin Leary looked like he could be a good quarterback, they looked like they had a very solid offensive line again, and Liam Coen is a G.O.A.T. (that is bias). But in all reality this team looked good. As the season has passed though, I have realized that they were just a “good on paper” team. Devin Leary has not been the prolific passer that everyone hyped him up to be. Half of the offensive line has gotten injured, and the other half cannot figure out how to NOT get a flag on every other play. Liam Coen has been alright. He definitely has not made Devin Leary look like a 2021 Will Levis, but the offense is still performing. The defense has lived up to expectations, except for some flag trouble every now and again. One hidden gem Kentucky picked up in the transfer portal was Ray Davis. He leads the SEC in rushing yards with 781. This is over 100 yards more than the next player who has 648. Overall this Kentucky team has been unfortunately mid, at least in my opinion. It seems like a common occurrence every year though. Hopefully the Big Blue basketball team can excite fans a little more.

Now Big Ten football. Ohio State has looked alright. They confuse me though. Although undefeated, they just barely scratched out a win against Notre Dame, who lost to Louisville but also beat USC who has the returning Heisman winner. Louisville won a tight game with Indiana, and lost to Pitt, and Indiana went into triple overtime with Akron. I know it might just sound crazy, but if you look at it the way I look at it, Ohio State might just be over ranked. Do not get me wrong, they are a stellar football team. They are gonna win many games this year, but can they compete with the elite teams of CFB?  One elite team I think they could have trouble with that is also in the Big Ten is Michigan. Now, I have not watched much Wolverine football this season, but I do know that Blake Corum is a certified STUD. And that J.J. McCarthy guy might just be pretty good. It’s also always a great game when Michigan and Ohio State play. Some other pretty solid teams in the Big Ten are Maryland, Iowa, and Penn State. They probably are not “competing for a title” good, but you do not want them in a bowl game. Rutgers comes as a bit of a surprise. They are 2-2 in conference play and 5-2 overall. Who knows. Maybe Rutgers is a solid football team this year. It is that or they are just a cinderella team.

There have been some new editions that have bounced around the Top 25 conversations. JMU really spotlights that list. Five years ago if you asked me who James Madison University was I probably would have said a community college somewhere around Southern Indiana. Now the Dukes are a common name tossed around college football conversations. They are 6-0, and have some high scoring affairs under their belts this season. Look for them to potentially enter the Top 25 by the end of the season.

Since it has only been seven weeks of college football, I do not feel it would be fair to evaluate anything more. Teams are going to have their ups. Teams are going to have their downs. Upsets will happen, teams will become bowl eligible for the first time in years, and as usual, Kentucky is going to beat the brakes of Louisville this year. Stay scoutin’.

RECENT WINS FOR FC AGAINST OPPOSING TEAMS

Photos by Sophie Douce, Grace Michell, and Jorge Zarate.

SPORT COLUMNIST REACT TO FC FOOTBALL’S RECENT VICTORIES

Column by Kenny Ward.

Three seconds left on the clock. The ball is snapped. Senior Tristan Roberston backwards laterals (a throw in a backwards direction, allowing the ball to still be legal to be thrown forward) the ball to junior Camden Harritt… 

He catches the ball, winds up for a pass, and lofts it up in the endzone hoping for a Highlander to lay hands on the ball. Low-and-behold, junior Isaac Kaiser jumps up and grabs the ball in a gaggle of Braves, and scores the game tying touchdown. Senior Cole Jones sets up for an extra point. The game for him had been pretty shaky, but if he wanted to prove himself, now was the time. Bang! The extra point is good and soon after a dog pile forms upon the kicker with less than a month of experience. 

Even after a tough year last year, the FC Football team has come back better and stronger. They took a loss against the number two team in the state of Kentucky, Saint Xavier, in a tight knit game where both teams looked impressive. They came back to play against Terre Haute South in the next game. At a neutral site, FC and Terre Haute dualed until the final seconds of the game, where Floyd reigned victorious on a final hurrah throw to the endzone.  

With all of the big wins this season, like the final second win against Terre Haute South and the 56-28 win against Silver Creek, the team is feeling good about themselves.

“It pushes me to replicate success,” said junior linebacker Kailey Bush. They indeed showed that they can replicate success, after taking down the Dragons with such a massive score. tomorrow

Having a big win can induce higher release levels of adrenaline. With these levels, players of ANY sport can and will play harder. In the game against Terre Haute South, senior Mitch Bernardi had two touchdowns and 141 rushing yards. He had a massive impact in not only that game, but also the Silver Creek game. He had 280 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns against Silver Creek.

As the team continues to win massively, players continue to succeed, and the fans continue to watch.  The Highlanders play Seymour at home tomorrow. They are a team FC could be competing against for a conference championship title.