5-at-10: NFL Draft losers, MLB optimism and change, Rushmore of old-school quarter-powered video games

Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, center left, prepares to snap the ball against Maryland during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in College Park, Md. Michigan won 38-7. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, center left, prepares to snap the ball against Maryland during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in College Park, Md. Michigan won 38-7. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NFL draft review part II

Over the next three days, we're going to peel apart a list of five from the draft.

Hey, we're the 5-at-10 after all.

So today, let's look at the five worst drafts. Deal? Deal.

Let's offer the closest thing we have to a lawyer-like disclaimer before we begin: we can all admit that it's a difficult chore to say yeah or nay on drafts in the immediate aftermath. But what we can explore is perceived value at each spot and analyze fit and functionality.

With that in mind, here are the five team that improved the most over the weekend.

> Green Bay. We can make an argument that this is the worst draft in a decade. Want to discuss value? The Packers were on the cusp of making the Super Bowl. They have a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame quarterback who is in his mid-30s in an era when QBs are playing until they're 40. (And the discussions of Aaron Rodgers decline, let's all admit that if we were going to have a two-year run of 51 TDs, six picks and 8,444 passing yards and better than 62 percent completion - what Rodgers posted combined in 2018 and '19 - then we should all pray our decline is so impressive.) They had a Pro Bowl running - and a stout back-up - in the Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams who combined for more than 1,500 rushing yards, 700 receiving yards and a mind-popping 25 total TDs. So, the Packers brain trust picks a QB and a RB in rounds 1 and 2. Who ran their draft room, the two 'Brilliant' guys from this Guinness commercials? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DPKf7y1F-Q

> Chicago. The Bears have been without a first-rounder for a while after pick-loaded deals for Mitchell Trubisky and Khalil Mack, but the Bears took Cole Kmet, the Notre Dame tight end, with their first pick in round 2. Kmet is a fine pick, but in the name value, Kmet is something like the ninth tight end on the Bears roster.

> Houston. Bill O'Brien may be a fine football coach. He's a terrible football GM. In this draft, O'Brien turned his first-round picks this year and next yesr and one of the three best WR in football (DeAndre Hopkins) into Laremy Tunsil and a TCU defensive tackle.

> New England. O'Brien is the poor-man's Bill Belichick, who is the best coach ever despite being one of the worst at the draft. Want some interesting trivia? There are two teams that have not drafted a Pro Bowl player in the last five years. One is Cincinnati; the other is Belichick's Patriots. (Yes, Spy, since Belichick's Bunch is 2-1 in Super Bowls in that five-year window, it's fair to ponder how important is a good draft anyway?) Kyle Dugger early in round 2 felt entirely too early. And of course Belichick picked an Alabama player with linebacker Anfernee Jennings. No QB was a puzzler too.

> New Orleans. The fewest picks of any team left the Saints in a hole from the start. And after several years of very profitable drafts that have allowed the Saints one of the best overall rosters in the league, there are few real holes. Cesar Ruiz in round 1 will be a back-up. Their next pick was Zach Baun a 3-4 linebacker who projects as an undersized 4-3 defensive end in New Orleans. Patrick Queen as an explosive middle linebacker rather than Ruiz in the back half of round 1 would have been a perfect fit.

Baseball possibilities

The USA Today reported late Tuesday some details about the MLB's exploration of returning to the field.

It would in late June. There would be three, 10-team leagues that will be geographically divided to limit travel and teams would only play those other nine teams. (The Braves would be the far Southern locale in the Midwest division with Cincinnati, Cleveland, K.C., both Chicagos, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Detroit and St. Louis.)

The goal would be for 100 regular-season games and an altered playoff structure, but according to that story, new ideas are being floated each day.

ESPN super baseball best ace Jeff Passan also wrote this week about the MLB leaders believing it's not if but when baseball will return. And how?

There are still ideas centering on hub locales like Dallas, Phoenix and Tampa, according to Passan. (He rightly notes that each of those cities have five ball parks - enough for three 10-team pods to pay every day - within an hour-radius.)

Passan also offered an interesting World Cup-like expanded playoff situation that would include all 30 teams and round-robin starts.

That's not even discussing the on-the-field potential rule changes from electronic strike zones to universal DH to a mercy rule and everything else.

And the NCAA did something right

Say what? Really?

Wow, the Corona is truly uprooting everything huh?

The NCAA board of governors voiced their support for a rule change that would allow college athletes to cash checks for endorsement deals that use the athletes' name, image and likeness. (The NIL deal of course.) Here's more.

According to that story, the final vote would come no later than the end of next January, and details of course could change.

But the details seem like a positive first step on an issue that the NCAA is going to have to address sooner rather than later because of pressures from individual state governments.

And to that end, the NCAA rightly is still asking for Federal help to have one set of consistent rules.

It's far from finished, but what has been reported seems as fair as possible and addresses the needs of schools as well as the athletes about as well as anyone could expect.

This and that

- On the other side of the possible return coin is Dr. Anthony Fauci, who sounded very negative in an interview with the New York Times about sports returning.

- Speaking of bad news, here's TFP all-around ace David Paschall with big-picture good news for the Lookouts and short-term sadness. According to Paschall's story, the longer the MLB season is on hold, the longer the odds of minor league season happening in 2020. But the Lookouts brass have optimism about avoiding contraction. So there's that.

- Speaking of Passan's story, there's a lot to it and it's long, but it's a worthy read. Passan, like Paschall, writes that the likelihood of a minor league season is growing smaller and smaller by the day.

- It's official, Jameis Winston has signed with the Saints. That leaves Cam Newton as the biggest name free agent QB on the market. (Andy Dalton is still under contract with the Bengals.) Winston's answers and approach - he called it Harvard education in QB school - makes me believe he's truly trying to rehab that image. Thoughts?

- Steve Kerr believes the Golden State Warriors' season is a wrap. He could have said something similar as soon as Steph Curry broke his wrist. OK, when that roster gets healthy - Curry played all of five games; Klay Thompson played zero - and if it lands the No. 1 overall pick, the Warriors are going to be back in the mix in the West next year.

- And this trend will only grow friends. Following the lead of Jalen Green, the top-rated high school basketball player in the 2020 class, five-star point guard Daishen Green became the first high school player to sign a letter of intent and then recant and announce he's playing in the G-League to get ready for the NBA. The G-League will add three five-star players whenever its next season starts, Green (1 overall), 6-foot-9 power forward Isaiah Todd (14 overall), Green (20 overall).

Today's question

Which way Wednesday starts this way:

Which baseball rule tweak in a shortened season is the most exciting?

Which NFL team not named Green Bay had the worst draft, indoor opinion?

Which actress celebrating a birthday today - Uma Thurman or Michelle Pfeiffer - has the better career Rushmore.

Discuss.

Also on this day, April 29, apparently there is a huge Asteroid passing the Earth today.

Of course that got me thinking about the video game Asteroid.

Rushmore of old-school, quarter-operated video games.

Go, and remember the mailbag.

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