Feeling the Draft 2017

Here comes Yours Truly's non-scientific and non-sensible takes of the upcoming NFL Draft:

- At number one, the Cleveland Browns "should" select Texas A&M's defensive end Myles Garrett, the consensus best player available. Notice the word "should" here. Yours Truly has serious doubt as to whether the perpetually-cursed Browns, now run by a former baseball executive (a good one, to be fair), will do the sensible thing. Given the rumours that they love the hugely-inexperienced North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Turbisky and that they passed up Carson Wentz last year, a move that they still regret, Yours Truly boldly predicts that they will select Turbisky first overall and let Garrett slide down the board.

- And Garrett's slide will be minimal, as the San Francisco 49ers will not believe their good fortune and gladly pick up the Aggie at number two.

- For the third pick, the Chicago Bears can go many directions. Yours Truly always believes that if a team doesn't have a good quarterback (like the Bears, even though they have just signed Mike Glennon, technically speaking a career backup) and like to draft one in the draft (like the Bears), they should do it high and early and shouldn't get too cute by trading down to pick up more picks. So the Bears should go ahead and draft one and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, who thrived in big games during his collegiate career, should be their choice.

- The Jacksonville Jaguars will rue the Bears' choice of Watson as it's been rumoured that they want Watson to eventually replace Blake Bortles, who was a disappointment last year. Yours Truly believes that instead of replacing Bortles, why not give him help by drafting a workhorse running back in LSU's Leonard Fournette? Remember the Dallas Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliot at number four last year and it worked out not bad.

- Tennessee Titans will pick fifth after last year's trade with the Los Angeles Rams involving the first pick overall. Their glaring need is wide receiver but unlike quarterback, they can always find a good one later in the draft. So Yours Truly will give them Solomon Thomas, defensive end from Stanford who has been rumoured to go as high as number two in a lot of mock drafts.

So to recap:

1. Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Cleveland Browns

2. Myles Garrett, DE, San Francisco 49ers

3. Deshaun Watson, QB, Chicago Bears

4. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Solomon Thomas, DE, Tennessee Titans

Of course, these predictions are likely to be way off, just like any other mock drafts by the experts.

He Was Not a (New England) Patriot

On a day when the most notorious criminal in Hong Kong's history passed away, the most notorious NFL player in recent memories also decided to end his own life.

Aaron Hernandez, the former star New England Patriots tight end-turn-convicted murderer serving life in prison at the time, was found hanging himself in his single cell with his bed sheets.

He was 27.

He had a troubled childhood in Connecticut, so much so that he allegedly decided to attend the University of Florida just to stay away from his troubled past. He was a good player on the field at Florida, but numerous red flags, including alleged fights and shooting incidents, caused his draft stock to fall in the 2010 NFL Draft and he was eventually drafted by the Patriots, of all teams, in the fourth round, two rounds or 71 picks after another star tight end, Rob Gronkowski.

The two tight ends were like twin towers on the field, and many teams have since been trying to emulate their success by putting two good receiving tight ends on the field at the same time, but to no avail. The Patriots have been known to be extremely prudent when it comes to giving out long-term contract extensions and huge signing bonuses. Over the years, they have often declined to do so and let many good players leave their team (see Deion Branch, Richard Seymour, Logan Mankins, etc.). Nonetheless, they decided to tear up Hernandez's rookie contract after two seasons and give him and all his baggage a US$12.5 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to a tight end.

That was in late-August 2012.

But in June 2013, Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée at the time, was found dead with multiple gunshots on his body. Hernandez was later charged with his murder and in April 2015, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

In an ironic twist, in mid-July 2012, which is just a couple of weeks before he signed the long-term deal with the Patriots, two men were found shot dead and Hernandez was later charged with their murder too. On April 14, 2017, he was acquitted of the murder charge and, incidentally, TV cameras captured him blowing kisses to his young daughter, showing a rare human and emotional side of him.

It was alleged that he killed Lloyd to prevent him from informing the Police of his involvement of the two men's death. While he was acquitted of the latter charge, it was the death of Lloyd which did him in.

Then, five days after his acquittal, he was dead.

Normally, Yours Truly would say Rest in Peace when someone passes away. But in this case, he won't. It was a sadly story indeed, but the sadness well and truly doesn't lie in his passing.