Reflecting on another NFL draft, and the path to the Two Gap substack

Answering why I'm here, my own journey, and how I approach NFL draft coverage.

As the 2024 NFL draft content begins to vanquish and the 2025 draft class awaits, I like to take some time for reflection. Looking back at what I accomplished, what more needs to be done, what more can be done. In that time of reflection, I realized a couple of things.

1. I wanted to do more wholistic coverage of the draft, just not picking up in-season, or after the regular season of college football, or once the NFL season was beginning to wrap up. Hence, why this substack exists with Alex Katson and I (more on this later).

2. There’s so much content left over that I never used, nor never disseminated on social media.

But none more important than this one: Do people know why I’m in this space? Why I watch 200-300 players a year? What my motivations are, my approach? How did I even get to this point, enjoying creating and discussing and consuming draft content year round?

Bear with me here as I work through those questions, but at my core, I aim to inform, to widen the scope, to give smaller and lesser known prospects their own due respect, to showcase the talents and traits of up and coming prospects. But the drive, the ambition, the tireless hours I spend in this space is chasing my own feelings I once felt as a football player: being overlooked.

For the 8 seasons I spent playing football across middle and high schools, and eventually college, you can’t shake the feeling of not feeling like you measure up to what everyone sees in you. The “potential.” The “hard working” or “lunch pail” mentality you possess. Maybe you don’t have the stats, in my case. Or maybe the belief from coaches that you belong at a higher level.

I carry those things with me as I unearth later round, potential UDFA prospects, because the work is never finished. And I hold those lessons, those feelings, and more though 4 full draft cycles in a row.

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On the field

I’ll never be one of those people who pretend I was a much greater athlete than I actually was. Yes, I played football for Lindenwood University in Belleville, Ill., for a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program. But I was more size (6-foot-2, 235-240) as a tight end, fullback, big slot receiver, than talent. I never was the biggest, the fastest, the most athletically gifted. But I always prepared myself, my mind, studying the playbook, figuring out how to run which routes against certain coverages, figuring out the blocking schemes versus even and tight fronts, light and heavy boxes.

What I lacked in athleticism and skill, I gained in knowledge. Do I sit in on the under SAM, over MIKE crossing route against Cover 2 in the vacant hole? Do I snap off a vertical seam route as a slot receiver against two high safety looks, or do I widen my seam route against one high safety looks? What about aligned as a tight end; do I peel off my double team block to get the flowing linebacker? Do I base block the defensive end lined up on my outside shoulder, or work our counter call and use the “rail” blocking technique to get the front side linebacker? Which leg am I attacking as a “J” or “H” back on split zone, the defensive end’s play side or just throwing my body in the way on a short yardage situation?

I spent hours and hours memorizing, visualizing, splitting meetings with the skill positions (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers) and the offensive linemen, soaking in as much information as I can, while playing multiple position based on the formation, down and distance, what was working vs. what wasn’t. I learned three different offensive system in 4 years; I only started four games in four years.

I know what it meant to be a special teams core guy. I was on every special teams, except kickoff, field goal block, and punt return (see the above about athleticism). From blocking down on field goals to being on the hands team on kickoff return, sometimes that was my only action on the field some days.

When I played my final game in November of 2017, I never imagined that I’d be talking about football this granularly. To a point where I’m watching all 22 positions on the field, giving my own analysis and thoughts and feeling on a prospect.

But when an opportunity arose in 2019, as I was beginning my own journey in the TV news business, my first big boy job, I knew I couldn’t let those years of studying, learning, memorizing, and engraining the football knowledge I let sit doormat for almost three years…

The Draft Space Journey

It started with a 25 person big board in the Kyler Murray draft, 2019. Then, it was covering Big Ten prospects (Shea Patterson, Reggie Corbin, some Indiana quarterback named Michael Penix Jr.). Then, by the pandemic, is was every player I could find cutups for.

A player interview with Camyrn Bynum changed the course of how I approached draft coverage.

I wanted to learn about a player’s journey. I wanted to watch and evaluate, and find the players who slipped through the cracks. More importantly, I wanted to fill the void that I felt was generally missing in talking about players. So in the 2021 draft class, I wanted to be everywhere, tweeting clips I saw of players, tweeting about games as they were happening, fully immerse myself in the space. I loved what people like TDN were doing, from Jordan Reid to Trevor Sikkema. What Connor Rogers was doing at then Bleacher Report; what Dane Brugler was and has been doing in the space. From podcasting with Mike Hrynyshyn and Jared Feinberg, to breaking out of my shell to do video breakdowns of players like Greg Newsome.

I enjoyed a lot of success in a small amount of time, but I was just doing what I would later find out, loved doing. Interviews with coaches. Senior Bowl coverage from my own house (took a week off from work just to cover virtually). Player feature stories on Janarius Robinson and Jonathon Cooper.

Covering the draft is a puzzle, and I started to understand and recognize just how much time that took, how much dedication was retired. All of a sudden, I felt like I was back in my dorm room, staring at my laptop, studying for the big game on Saturday, and my big game was the NFL draft. I was laying the groundwork of what I wanted to become my identity, as an avid film watcher, knower of as many prospects as I can, telling player stories, and trying to be an asset to the space.

But one thing I wanted to maintain no matter what: No negativity. I saw the vitriol and expansive arguments on Trevor Lawrence vs. Zach Wilson vs. Trey Lance. How critical people were of Micah Parsons and Penei Sewell opting out of their college seasons. Just the increased doubt, your opinion isn’t as good as mine, etc., and vowed to myself that I’ll focus on what players can do as opposed to what they lack, or are deficient in. That doesn’t change my objectivity on liking a prospect; I’ll note their needed improvements or weaknesses. But never to a point of degrading.

And that won’t change, as long as I’m in this space.

Long lasting memories

Being right in this space is cool, whether you nail selections in your final mock drafts, turn out to be right about a player, or feel justified in being lower on a player than the consensus. But what I find to be a better feeling is watching that FCS small school wide receiver get the recognition they deserve, or get drafted, or make an impact in an NFL game. Or watch them thrive at an All-Star event. Or be able to talk with them, pick their brain about their skill set.

One of my favorite interviews I’ve ever done is with JL Skinner, from Boise State. I saw how good he was on his junior tape and found a way to talk with him before the start of his senior season. Ask him about things I saw on his social media, build a connection with him. He even reached out to me on my latest job promotion.

Those are the things that make me want to stay and thrive in this space. The awesome people I’ve grown friendships with. The conversations, about football, about life, about the draft. The combine podiums, the side conversations in a room full of other prospects. The phone call interviews. I love every bit of it.

I appreciate the respect, the readership, the growth I’ve experienced in this platform. I’m nothing without those of you who interact with me daily, who talk ball with me at all hours of the day. No matter where I go in my career, I know I want the draft to play an integral part.

It’ll always be about the players, no matter what. I remind myself of that every time I tweet, write, speak, or inform. It’s my guiding principle.

Because who they are outside of this matters. Their families who support them every step of the way read what’s being said. Livelihoods are on the line when it comes to this, whether NFL teams watch the buzz around players or not.

So, what now, that I’m here?

Much of the same you’ve seen from me, but on at a larger degree. More stories, analysis, breakdowns, scouting reports, deep dives, and more here on Two Gap.

There will be big boards, mock drafts, the typical draft content you see. But we have plenty in the works turning this into an all-encompassing draft space that covers the draft from all angles, from all the large events, while blending in the amazing stories of draft prospects.

That starts with summer scouting, which will kick off for me soon. I hope this gave you some insight on what brought me here, what drives me, and what I hope to accomplish. This is just only the beginning of something truly special.