Thursday Newsletter: Josh Conerly Jr. praise, Shedeur Sanders to the Giants, and more!
Get caught up on all of your NFL Draft news here!
Another day, another NFL Draft newsletter.
With the College Football and NFL seasons coming to a close as we get into some colder weather (well, here in Ohio at least), the NFL Draft topics of conversation, mock drafts, and more are going to shoot through the roof. My intentions here are to give you a one-stop shop to catch up on all of it while you have your morning cup of coffee.
So let’s talk about a new batch of NFL Draft news as we near the weekend and the first-ever slate of the Round of 12 College Football Playoffs games.
OL Guru gives love to Oregon LT Josh Conerly Jr.
I’ve been vocal that it’s a bad offensive tackle class and that every good college tackle in this 2025 NFL Draft class is likely a guard at the NFL level. This includes the likes of Will Campbell and Kelvin Banks Jr.
And it may lead to the younger, more athletic tackles getting pushed up the board. Ohio State’s Josh Simmons is likely the best offensive tackle in the class as of now, Texas’ Cameron Williams has unreal tools in a massive 6-foot-5 and 335-pound frame, but another young tackle is on the rise.
Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr., a former five-star recruit, came into the season with bad hands and a soft anchor that left me skeptical in summer scouting. The athletic tools and foot speed have always been there though. He continues to improve every week in his junior season with the Ducks, and he will likely hear his name called in the first round.
It has not gone unnoticed by Trench Warfare’s Brandon Thorn (and a friend of the Daft on Draft podcast), who thinks Conerly’s improvements are enough to put him in contention to be the first offensive tackle off the board this upcoming Spring.
That’s high praise from a well-respected voice among NFL offensive linemen and those who evaluate them.
Michael Penix gives a hilarious narrative on getting the QB1 call
Speaking to the media for the first time since being named the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, 2024 No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. had a lot to talk about. Among topics of conversation include how and when he got the news that he was getting his first career start.
And the answer is quite hilarious.
"I was shopping with my girlfriend—we was at Costco… I got the call, they told me I was gonna be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. As you can imagine, it was some nerves and excitement, but just super blessed to be in this position."
Penix was in line to get a hot dog, just like the rest of us when we go to Costco, when he got the call. He finished his sentiment by stating, “I wasn’t hungry no more.”
Starting with the Giants this weekend, the Falcons still have a run at a wildcard spot on the table. Those wildcard hopes likely hinge on Penix’s matchup next week (assuming they take care of business against the Giants) as he takes on fellow rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders on primetime television next weekend.
Deion Sanders calls his shot on Shedeur’s landing spot
Let’s be real.
Deion Sanders is just giving his son free PR more than he is trying to interfere with where he will play in the NFL. He’s already publicly told the Las Vegas Raiders to draft Shedeur Sanders, and now he tells former NFL cornerback Pacman Jones on a podcast that the New York Giants, currently slated with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, will select his son with the first overall pick.
Take these things with a grain of salt. It does seem like the Raiders or the Giants are his logical landing spot as both teams are desperate for a quarterback and do not have a favorable schedule the rest of the way out. Deion is just doing some public posturing here.
What’s new at Daft on Draft?
A new “Inside the Film Room” went up on Daft on Draft yesterday, and this time it was on Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.
While his production dipped and his projection to the NFL requires a bit of creativity, he is my WR1 in the class and a top-10 player. So what gives me so much confidence in Burden’s ability at the NFL level?
You’ll have to read the article and find out.
New on the Daft on Draft Podcast?
Dalton and I got back on the mics to break down our players 11-15 on our big boards. If you would like to check out previous episodes breaking down our top-10 you can find those here:
We have similar players early on but then differ at the end. Tap in to see how we round out our top-15!