He just can’t stop being awesome. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady completed 24/36 passes for 276 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 48-25 win over the Falcons.
HONORABLE MENTION
RB Chris Evans (Bengals): Evans caught 1 pass for 14 yards in a 20-17 loss to the Bears.
DE Kwity Paye (Colts): Paye made 5 tackles in a 27-24 loss to the Rams.
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (Browns): Peoples-Jones made 1 catch for 14 yards in a 31-21 win over the Texans.
S Jabrill Peppers (Giants): Peppers made 6 tackles and returned 2 punts for 8 yards in a 30-29 loss to the Washington Football Team.
OG Jon Runyan, Jr. (Packers): Runyan made his first career start in a 35-17 win over the Lions.
OLB Josh Uche (Patriots): Uche made 3 tackles and 2 sacks in a 25-6 win over the Jets.
Both of Josh Uche's sacks came late in obvious passing situations, but he undressed the right guard twice on the same drive with a punch-dip move. #Patriotspic.twitter.com/n8cfUjeASX
Sep 9, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady continues to play like a much younger man. The 44-year-old Brady completed 32/50 passes for 379 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 31-29 win over the Cowboys on Thursday night. His first interception was a screen pass thrown to running back Leonard Fournette that was right at his facemask and bounced off his hands, and the second was a Hail Mary attempt that was picked off by Jourdan Lewis at the end of the first half. Here’s his first touchdown of the 2021 season:
Oct 20, 2018; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive lineman Kwity Paye (19) prepares for the snap of the ball during the second half of a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
I have not delved into the NFL Draft this spring as much as I normally would. There’s a good reason for that. I got roped into coaching a spring sport this year (temporarily), and in addition to my regular football coaching duties, it has really thrown off my schedule. I’ve been struggling to stay afloat in real life, let alone writing regularly for the blog. Luckily, that coaching situation resolved itself and I am now back to regularly scheduled programming.
Briefly, I wanted to take a look at tonight’s 1st round of the NFL Draft.
There are two Michigan prospects who could hear their name called. One is almost a certainty, and the other is unlikely.
First, defensive end Kwity Paye measured in at 6’2″, 261 lbs. with a 74 4/8″ wingspan and 10″ hands. He did 36 reps on the bench, showed off a 35 1/2″ vertical, broad jumped 9’10”, and ran the forty in 4.52. (I don’t trust pro day forty times, so it was probably more like a 4.62, which is still pretty good. I’ve heard multiple draft analysts mention that they do not believe Paye was used optimally at Michigan because he moved around so much (DE, DT, NT) and was not allowed to excel at being a pass rusher. They think he will be better in the NFL once he’s able to stabilize his position. Possible landing spots: #10 to Dallas, #12 to Philadelphia, #14 Minnesota, #17 Las Vegas
Second is offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield. Mayfield measured in at 6’5″ and 326 lbs. with a 79 5/8″ wingspan and 9 3/4″ hands. He ran a 5.31 forty (or 5.41) with a 7.86 three cone drill and a 4.91 5-10-5 shuttle. Mayfield played pretty well for a redshirt freshman in 2019, but he came back late for the 2020 season . . . and didn’t last very long before getting injured. He never reached his potential at Michigan, but he could be a right tackle or a guard in the NFL. I think he’s more likely to end up in the second or third round, but slipping into the late first is a possibility. Possible landing spots: #23 New York Jets, #24 Pittsburgh, #27 Baltimore, #29 Green Bay, #31 Baltimore
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Hassan Haskins. Haskins averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 17 attempts (stat line: 17 rushes, 106 yards, 2 TD). The quarterbacks combined to average 4.0 yards per passing attempt. Of course, you’re probably not going to be able to break off big runs if you’re handing off the ball 60 times and throwing it 20 times, but Haskins was not used enough. He’s the most consistent runner behind a mediocre (or bad) offensive line.
