Monthly Archives: January 2025

2025 NFL MOCK DRAFT 1.0

Posted by henpunk2 on

My first mock draft of 2025. The top 30 positions are set with only Philadelphia and Kansas City’s yet to be determined. Mock drafts prior to the combine and free agency are really just a guessing game, but it helps to get started learning these players early.

I don’t think Tennessee will pass on the rare opportunity to draft a franchise QB. To me, Ward is the clear QB1 in this class.
Cleveland has been oddly committed to Deshaun Watson and even though he’s likely to miss a significant portion of the 2025 season, there’s a good chance they won’t pick his replacement here. Carter is the top player on my board and will give the Browns a fierce pass rushing tandem.
The Giants are desperate for a QB in what could be a make or break season for their head coach and general manager. Sanders wouldn’t have cracked the first round in last year’s class, but he’s a definite upgrade over Daniel Jones & the other warm bodies they trotted out in 2024.
Building from the trenches is a Mike Vrabel staple, with Abdul Carter off the board, New England fortifies the offensive line with Campbell.
Jacksonville goes with the dynamic two way player, Hunter, who will contribute on both sides of the ball for the Jaguars.
Las Vegas desperately needs a QB, but they’ll probably need to go the veteran bridge route. They also need more pass catchers. Pairing McMillan with Brock Bowers would give the Raiders an enticing one-two punch.
The Jets have a question to answer at QB, and whether or not they’ll retain WR Davante Adams. There’s also some holes on defense, but the most glaring need is offensive line. Banks could stick at tackle or kick inside to guard.
Pairing Johnson with Jaycee Horn would give Carolina two formidable, lock down level cornerbacks.
I have the Saints addressing their pass rush by adding the athletic Williams.
Chicago’s biggest issues are on the offensive line and new head coach, Ben Johnson, knows full well the importance of a dominant line. Booker is a pure guard, but, in my opinion, he’s also the best offensive lineman in the draft.
If Graham makes it this far down the board, I imagine the Niners will be sprinting to the podium to announce this pick.
Dallas has needed a workhorse RB for awhile, adding Jeanty makes a ton of sense, but we are talking about Jerry Jones’ Cowboys.
If not for injury concerns, Simmons would probably be the first offensive lineman off the board. Miami has never been afraid to take chances on talent.
Warren gives me Sam LaPorta vibes. Indy will be happy to add him to their offense.
After years of adding offensive skill position players in the first round, Atlanta finally goes defense and adds Pearce to their pass rush.
Arizona could go offensive line here, or add another wide receiver, instead I have them adding a pass rusher in Scourton.
Cincinnati may or may not lose Tee Higgins in free agency. If so, Burden will fill that role in the Bengals offense.
Starks is worthy heir to Seattle’s legendary Legion of Boom.
Tampa may lose two starting linebackers this offseason, Walker is the best off ball linebacker in the class.
Denver got virtually no production from their tight ends in 2024, that will change with Loveland.
Egbuka will be a perfect complement to George Pickens in Pittsburgh’s passing game.
Jim Harbaugh brings in a familiar face in Grant to bolster the Chargers defensive line.
Stewart is exactly the type of pass rusher that Green Bay loves.
Morrison should help shore up Minnesota’s pass defense.
Houston’s offense took a step back in 2024, largely due to injuries in their receiving corps, but also a lack of depth on the offensive line, Conerly can help remedy that.
Rams add Revel to a young, ascending defense.
Nolan is the kind of player that fits Baltimore’s style of defense.
Green could be a perfect pass rushing complement to Aidan Hutchinson for Detroit.
Barron would bring positional versatility to Washington’s secondary.
Buffalo needs to continue adding to their defense to combat the elite offenses in the AFC. Harmon helps solidify their defensive line.
Membou could take over at guard if Philadelphia loses Mekhi Becton in free agency or eventually succeed Lane Johnson at tackle.
Kansas City’s offensive line showed cracks this season and they might lose Trey Smith in free agency. Ersery could play guard or tackle.

Coaching Carousel

Posted by henpunk2 on

Seven teams will have new head coaches in 2025, including my beloved Chicago Bears. Here’s some quick thoughts on the six coaches that have been hired, and the one opening still remaining.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Robert Kraft did Jerod Mayo dirty and made a mockery of the Rooney Rule, but the hiring of former Titan’s head coach and Patriots legend, Mike Vrabel, is a home run.

While I don’t believe Vrabel was a perfect fit for every job opening (more on that in a bit), he is probably perfect for New England. Former head coach, Jerod Mayo, famously called his team soft during the 2024 season. That will not be an issue under Mike Vrabel. Vrabel will make the Patriots a tougher football team.

I’m not as sure about bringing back offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels to help further Drake Maye’s development. McDaniels has been an abysmal failure as a coach when not paired with Tom Brady. Brady is the GOAT and he’s more responsible for McDaniels’ success than the other way around.

Overall, I give the Patriots hiring of Mike Vrabel an A, even if I don’t respect the process they took to get there.

CHICAGO BEARS- This move should have come a year ago. Everyone outside of the Bears top brass questioned the wisdom of pairing of a first overall picked quarterback with a defensive minded coach who had left a lot to be desired in his two years at the helm.

The Bears exacerbated the issue by letting Matt Eberflus choose the offensive coordinator who would be tasked with Caleb Williams’ development. Like every other decision made during his short tenure, Eberflus chose wrong.

Ben Johnson was the most sought after coach alongside Mike Vrabel. Rumors have it that he wanted the Bears job last year, but Chicago retained Eberflus. We’re lucky, as Bears fans, that Caleb Williams still held the allure for Johnson a year later.

Every team with a young franchise caliber quarterback wants to find their own Sean McVay or Sean Payton. I can’t say with absolute certainty that Ben Johnson is that, but he was easily the best candidate for that mantle available.

The Bears, for once, deserve a lot of credit for landing the big fish. They targeted Johnson early and when he became available to hire, they wasted no time.

I give this hire an A+. After a monumentally disappointing season, the hiring of Ben Johnson has revived my hopes in the Bears future.

NEW YORK JETS- Aaron Glenn played for the Jets and he was probably the top first time head coaching candidate from the defensive side of the ball. Glenn did amazing work with Detroit’s banged up defense until they ran out of gas against Washington.

I like Glenn and I think he’s deserving of a head coaching position, I just feel like the Jets have taken this road before. The Jets still have the same issues; a meddling owner and a forty something quarterback whose best days are far, far behind him.

I’ll grade the hiring of Glenn as a solid B, with the caveat that Glenn has a tall task in front of him. At least the Jets paired him with a familiar face at GM, who hopefully will be on the same page.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS- I never bought the notion that Vegas was a realistic option for Ben Johnson. The fact that none of the other available top offensive minds ever considered the Raiders confirms my view.

The Raiders need an NFL caliber starting QB and they have no real viable path to landing one this year. The Raiders are also in dire need of a culture change, but that is more on ownership than any coach they could have hired.

If Tom Brady can instill patience in Raiders ownership and Pete Carroll has the juice, at 73 years old, to see through what will not be a quick rebuild, this hiring will be great. Carroll knows how to build a winning culture. Until those questions are answered, however, I’ll give this grade a B.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Jacksonville botched this from the start. The Jaguars’ ownership are the only people in the known universe that didn’t realize how despised former GM Trent Baalke was.

Had they parted ways with Baalke at the same time they fired Doug Pedersen, they might have been able to land Ben Johnson. I still think Chicago offered the better situation, but the chance to handpick his own GM might have been enough for Johnson to pick Jacksonville.

Liam Coen deserves his own share of criticism here. After pulling out of consideration, presumably because of Baalke, and agreeing to an extension with Tampa Bay, Coen childishly ghosted the Bucs after Baalke was let go while he worked out a deal with Jacksonville.

Coen may end up as a decent head coach, but the whole situation was ugly for all involved, because of that I can only give it C- grade.

DALLAS COWBOYS- This one makes sense only in the mind of Jerry Jones. Moving on from Mike McCarthy is one thing, but elevating his former offensive coordinator, who didn’t even call plays, is just downright insane. Philadelphia OC, Kellen Moore, was reportedly interested in returning to Dallas and the Cowboys didn’t even wait to get an in person interview with him.

Brian Schottenheimer has a good pedigree, but he has the look of nothing more than a yes man for Jerry Jones. The Cowboys championship window might not have been opened very wide with McCarthy, but it’s completely closed now. Those high priced stars will soon realize this, if they haven’t already.

I’m grading this hire as a D, only because I don’t feel like being mean enough to hand out an F.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- This is the only head coaching opening yet to be filled. The Saints have their perennial salary cap issues, a serviceable but uninspiring QB and holes on both sides of the ball. No matter who gets the job, it may be a couple years of treading water before they’re actually a viable contender.

My instincts tell me Kellen Moore is the favorite for the job. New Orleans seems to be waiting on the chance to interview him in person. If it doesn’t work out with Moore, I think Mike McCarthy is the fall back.

I’d grade Kellen Moore a B hire. Mike McCarthy would be a B-.

Changing Direction

Posted by henpunk2 on

When I started writing this blog a decade ago, I just wrote whatever came to mind. I posted a lot of political writings, some very divisive political writings. Starting today, that changes.

From this point forward, Nickels and Dimes blog will be exclusively about sports, mostly the NFL and the Chicago Bears specifically. I’ll do my mock drafts, which have become one of this blog’s staples, as well as sharing thoughts on news and happenings in the world of sports.

While the main focus of this blog will be the National Football League, I’ll occasionally delve into Major League Baseball, the NBA, college football and basketball and even golf. Don’t be surprised if at some point I write about hockey, auto racing or the Olympics, but mainly this will be dedicated to professional football.

I’ve scrubbed my archives of all non sports related posts, leaving up my past sports themed posts (I enjoy going back to see my predictions). I thought about changing the name of my blog, but Nickels and Dimes is actually perfect for football.

I’ll start later this week with my thoughts on the recent coaching changes and predictions for the upcoming Super Bowl.

Thanks for reading.