Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
With the start of the NFL Draft now just nine days away, I'll give you three guesses on what we're going to talk about today. Yup, the NFL Draft. I hope you guessed that for all three guesses.
Not only are we going to look at some prop bets for the draft, but we're also going to unveil the mock draft of all mock drafts: The consensus mock draft, which is the mock draft where we round up the best mock drafts on the internet to create a super mock draft. Also, because I want to cram as much draft talk as possible into today's newsletter, we'll also be taking a look at how the Giants and Jets can have the perfect draft. If you're a Jets or Giants executive reading this, please take notes.
As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. All you have to do is click here and then share the link. Alright, let's get to the rundown.
1. Today's show: Looking at betting props for the NFL Draft
With gambling now legal in nearly half the country, that means you could actually win some money while watching the NFL Draft next week. Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson are two guys who love winning money, which I think is why they decided to make draft props their main focus in today's show.
Basically, they went through multiple position groups in the draft, and after Wilson gave his assessment of each player in the group, they tried to figure out where that player might get drafted.
For instance, one player they talked about was Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams, who has an over/under of 11.5 for his draft position with the under paying out much higher (+150) than the over (-180). A winning $100 bet on the under would earn you a cool $150 in profit, but a successful $100 bet on the over would net you just $55.55. Williams is coming off a season where he tore his ACL, which makes his draft position tough to predict.
So what are Wilson and Brinson predicting here? Both guys actually think the UNDER is going to hit and that Williams will be off the board with one of the top-11 picks.
"I don't think teams are worried about this ACL at all. I think he goes top-10," Brinson said. "You get plus money. You have the Falcons at eight, the Seahawks at nine, the Jets at 10 and the Washington Commanders at 11. I think he goes in one of those spots or some team trades up to get him."
For once, Wilson actually agreed with Brinson's take. (This almost never happens.)
"I like the under here, too," Wilson said.
If you want a closer look at more draft props, you'll have to listen to today's podcast, which you can do by clicking here. You can also watch today's episode by heading to the Pick Six YouTube Channel.
2. The mock draft of all mock drafts: The consensus mock draft
With less than 10 days to go until the 2022 NFL Draft kicks off, I'm legally obligated to share at least one new mock draft with you every day until the actual draft starts, and today, we have the best one yet: It's the consensus mock draft.
Our Bryan DeArdo scoured the internet and compiled 12 mock drafts from multiple different media companies, including ESPN, NFL.com, and of course, CBS Sports. DeArdo then went full Dr. Frankenstein and cobbled these 12 mock drafts into one consensus mock draft.
Here are the top-15 picks in the consensus mock:
- 1. Jaguars: EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan)
- 2. Lions: DL Travon Walker (Georgia)
- 3. Texans: OL Evan Neal (Alabama)
- 4. Jets: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon)
- 5. Giants: OL Ikem Ekwonu (North Carolina State)
- 6. Panthers: QB Kenny Pickett (Pitt)
- 7. Giants: CB Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati)
- 8. Falcons: WR Garrett Wilson (Ohio State)
- 9. Seahawks: CB Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU)
- 10. Jets: WR Drake London (USC)
- 11. Commanders: S Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame)
- 12. Vikings: CB Trent McDuffie (Washington)
- 13. Texans: OL Charles Cross (Mississippi State)
- 14. Ravens: EDGE Jermaine Johnson II (Florida State)
- 15. Eagles: WR Jameson Williams (Alabama)
If you want to see how the rest of the first round plays out -- and trust me, you do -- then you're going to want to click here.
3. Busy day for Browns: Denzel Ward signs $100.5 million contract, team confirms investigation into tanking
The Cleveland Browns had an interesting Monday. It started on a high note when the team agreed to terms on a five-year extension with cornerback Denzel Ward, but then the day ended on a low note when the Browns revealed to Sports Illustrated that the NFL is investigating them for allegations of tanking.
First, let's take a look at Ward's extension.
Ward lands largest cornerback contract in NFL history. The Ohio-native isn't going to be leaving Ohio anytime soon after landing a five-year, $100.5 million extension from the Browns. Before Monday, Jalen Ramsey was the only corner in NFL history to land a $100 million contract. Ward's extension includes $71.5 million in guarantees, which makes Ward's total money and guaranteed money the most ever given to a corner.
Browns have handed out an insane amount of guaranteed money. Thanks to Ward's contract, the Browns have now handed out $340.5 million in guaranteed money this offseason, which is an absurd number when you consider the next closest team is nearly $100 million behind that. (The Dolphins have handed out $242 million in guarantees, according to ESPN.)
2018 draft wasn't a total bust. Although the Browns are getting ready to get rid of Baker Mayfield, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, their draft class from that year hasn't been a total loss thanks to Ward (selected with the fourth-overall pick) and Nick Chubb (taken 35th overall).
As for the NFL's investigation into the Browns, here are a few details on that:
- The investigation has been going on for more than two months. The NFL has been looking into this situation since early February when Hue Jackson insinuated that he was being incentivized to tank while coaching the Browns. In 2016, the Browns went 1-15, which sounds bad until you realize they were actually worse in 2017, going 0-16.
- The investigation is expected to be over soon. Whenever there's an investigation in the NFL, it usually leaks out at some point, but this one didn't leak out until it was almost over. Not only did the NFL confirm the existence of the investigation Monday, but the league also added that it's almost complete. "The review is ongoing and is expected to conclude soon," the league said in a statement.
- Browns believe they are innocent. The Browns seem pretty confident that there was no wrongdoing on their end, "Even though Hue recanted his allegations a short time after they were made, it was important to us and to the integrity of the game to have an independent review of the allegations. We welcomed an investigation and we are confident the results will show, as we've previously stated, that these allegations are categorically false," the team said in a statement.
Jackson originally made the accusations a day after the Brian Flores lawsuit was filed in February. A few days later, he walked back the accusations, saying he wasn't paid to lose but that the Browns were still trying to lose. Based on what Jackson has said so far, it's hard to see the team getting in much trouble. This definitely isn't as bad as Flores' accusation that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss in a secret meeting.
4. How each New York team can have the perfect draft: Giants facing the most pressure with two top-7 picks
Both the Giants and Jets are going to have a lot of pressure on them heading into the draft and that's because both teams have TWO top-10 picks. The Giants are likely going to be facing slightly more pressure than the Jets because their two picks are slightly better.
So what should the Giants do? CBS Sports' Josh Edwards outlined their perfect draft plan and here's what he thinks they should do in the first round:
- Try to get Evan Neal with the fifth-overall pick. "Neal is an intriguing option for the Giants because of his sheer size. With Andrew Thomas showing improvement this season, Neal could be the bookend tackle that the team has coveted. If the Giants are able to lock down those spots for a decade, then it makes the odds of repairing the interior offensive line feel far less daunting."
- Take an EDGE defender or corner at No. 7 overall. "My thinking is essentially this: if the Giants intend to keep James Bradberry, then draft one of those remaining edge rushers here, whether that ends up being Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II, Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux or Georgia's Travon Walker. If the team parts with Bradberry to conserve salary cap space, then draft Cincinnati corner Ahmad Gardner."
You can check out Edwards' full plan for the Giants by clicking here.
As for the Jets, here's what Edwards thinks they should do with their two top-10 picks:
- Try to get Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fourth-overall pick. "The Jets basically would get two first-round picks at the edge rusher position this year with the return of a healthy Carl Lawson and Thibodeaux. The AFC East franchise would have a pair of edge rushers capable of applying pressure. When it is all said and done, head coach Robert Saleh's defense should be able to apply pressure from all levels."
- Try to get Drake London at 10th overall. "With a basketball background, the USC product understands how to use his body to create separation and attack the ball at its peak. His combination of size and physicality is a nice compliment to having Elijah Moore on the roster."
If you want to know how the Jets can pull off a perfect draft outside of the first round, then be sure to click here.
5. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers teaming up for golf event against Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes
One year after playing against each other on the golf course, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady will now be teaming up for a showdown against Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in a televised event that will be happening in June.
The foursome will be taking part in "The Match," which is an ongoing golf event that Turner Sports has been putting on annually since 2018.
Here are the details on this year's match:
- Rodgers and Brady will be facing off against Mahomes and Allen at the Wynn golf course in Las Vegas. The event will be held on June 1, so feel free to mark your calendar now. I just told Alexa to remind me on May 31.
- One thing about the match is that it won't be 18 holes. The foursome will only be playing 12 holes, which feels like an unfair advantage for Brady and Rodgers, because 12 is their lucky number. (They're both number 12.)
- Rodgers is undefeated in these celebrity matchups. Last summer, he teamed up with Bryson DeChambeau to beat Brady and Phil Mickelson. Brady also lost with Mickelson in 2020 in a match against Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods. Basically, Brady is 0-for-2, and they might stop inviting him back if he keeps losing because no one wants to watch someone lose all the time.
The trash-talking for the match has already started with Brady and Allen sparring on Twitter. (You can check out the details by clicking here.) This match is still six weeks away, which is probably for the best, because that means we're going to get six more weeks of these guys trash-talking each other.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Kyler Murray to skip voluntary workouts
It's been a wild 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Kyler Murray won't be attending voluntary workouts. There's been a lot of drama between Murray and the Cardinals this offseason, and it appears that drama will be continuing over the next few weeks. According to NFL.com, the Cards QB won't be attending the team's voluntary workouts. However, NFL.com noted that this "has been communicated as the plan for several weeks," so it's possible there won't be any hurt feelings here, but who knows. It's certainly possible Murray said he won't show up unless he has a new contract and obviously, he still doesn't have a new contract.
- NFL Sunday Ticket could soon have a new home. According to one report, Apple is not only the frontrunner to land NFL Sunday Ticket, but it's theirs to lose. The rights for Sunday Ticket are currently held by DirecTV, but their contract expires after the 2022 season. If Apple lands ST, that almost certainly means it will become a streaming product, which is a lot easier than getting a satellite dish that you need for the DirecTV version of ST.
- Commanders respond to accusations of financial impropriety. In news that probably won't surprise you, the Commanders have denied all accusations against them. The team sent an 18-page letter to Congress during which it shot down each claim. If you have seven free hours today, you can read the entire letter by clicking here.
- Panthers linebacker arrested after allegedly threatening to kill girlfriend. Carolina's Damien Wilson was arrested in Texas last week and charged with assault with bodily injury of a family member after he allegedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend. If you want more details on the case, feel free to click here.
- Marshawn Lynch buys minority stake in Seattle Kraken. Beast Mode is now officially an NHL owner. The former NFL running back purchased a small stake in Seattle's hockey team. The best part is that he celebrated by getting crazy on a Zamboni, which you can see by clicking here.
- Jimmy Garoppolo won't attend start of 49ers offseason program. The 49ers QB has been encouraged to rehab his shoulder off-site, which means he won't be attending the team's offseason workout program for now, according to NFL.com. The 49ers are aware of Garoppolo's plan, so this likely won't lead to any drama for either side.
- Colin Kaepernick gives interview. Kaepernick made two things clear during a recent podcast appearance: He definitely still wants to play, and he's willing to be a backup if that's what it takes to get back in the NFL. You can read more from his interview by clicking here.
