Newsletter: Another Mock Draft Monday, Steelers’ Walls Closing In, and an Interesting OC Interview

Let's make some picks and discuss the coaching landscape.

(Photo - Getty)

Fun weekend of football right there. Amirite? The playoffs, now prolonged in both levels of the sport, make for the best time of year now as the College Football Playoffs mirror the NFL and just starts a few weeks earlier. Best of everything we could have hoped for in this regard.

The repeat of a team going into Houston as a slight favorite only to be blown out did bring back some tough memories. Justin Herbert recreated Joe Flacco from nearly an identical year ago and reminded us why playing playoff games at home is such a severe advantage in so many cases. The Texans clearly respond well in that dome come January. We’ll see if the show travels well on the road to Kansas City.

The Steelers rounded out their abysmal finish to 2024 with a loss in Baltimore that felt non-competitive for most of the game as the Ravens coasted to 300+ rushing yards and T.J. Watt kept him “missing persons” section alive. The heat is getting warmer in Pittsburgh for Mike Tomlin whose team started 8-2 and finished 2-6 the rest of the way. Another one-and-done performance.

The Steelers have announced support yet again for the veteran coach but you can start to feel like walls closing in over there. The Rooney’s can only stay patient so long, and it would be a marquee job opening. Jerry Jones opened another pillar franchise head coaching job today parting ways with Mike McCarthy and it doesn’t feel like the Steelers are too far behind. 2025 might be the end. We can hope.

Mocking these Browns drafts is quite a funny exercise to me right now. After three years of not having enough picks, now the Browns have the second overall pick which comes with endless possibilities. The correct percentage move right now is to think they trade down into that 4-7 range, collect more assets, and then even parlay into next year’s first round with another pick.

While they could easily just take a quarterback or Travis Hunter, getting into the trade down world becomes interesting as well if you think the road map still leads to one of the draft’s better talents. Then stockpiling some day two picks, and even that long-play 2026 first round pick. All, again, very appealing. We explored that again today.

Here’s now my second mock of the draft season where the Jets came calling.