Don’t Sleep On Em

Preseason Week 1

By: DaQuane Fox

When I was in middle school I had a crush on a girl who the bros made fun of because she had hairy forearms.. I saw past all of that because she was drop dead gorgeous and my guys called me crazy. Fast forward 10 years later, a friend and I ran into her at a bar downtown. When I tell you she was a walking goddess, I truly mean it. My friend looks over at me and goes, “Wow you called it, I slept on her.” Where am I going with this you might ask? 

Well… 

1) Latinas with hairy forearms in primary school usually blossom into DIMES

2) I apply the same logic to the NFL and I believe there’s a few gems flying under the radar.

Jelani Woods TE (Indianapolis Colts)

Jelani Woods is a literal MONSTER of a human being. Standing at a towering 6’7” and weighing in at 260lbs he’s a QB’s Red Zone dream. Quick recap on his NFL journey thus far, this guy was a top 25… wait for it… QUARTERBACK going into his Oklahoma St. career! He soon made the switch to TE and that seemed like the best move, seeing as it got him drafted in the 3rd round to Indy. He has pretty reliable hands and the frame of a beast. Imagine being 11 yards away from the goal line and all you have to do is throw it to KAWHI LEONARD. He’s been shining in camp after one of their TE’s Drew Ogletree went down with an ACL tear, and I think Matt Ryan will enjoy his presence as he opens up looks for Pittman Jr and co.

Malcolm Rodriguez LB (Detroit Lions)

ANOTHER former High School QB turned NCAA D1 beast. Except Malcolm isn’t a hulking figure. Standing at 5’11” and weighing in at 230lbs he may not sound terrifying but he just knows how to make plays. And as a football connoisseur I love guys who may not jump off paper with his measurements/athleticism but when you put pads on them they have the ability to play like All Pros. Malcom started as a special teamer in college but once the coaches saw his impact there they knew they had to put him somewhere on the defensive side of the ball. Similar situation in Detroit, Coach Campbell has him currently running with the 1st Team in training camp where he might be replacing NFL veteran Alex Anzalone. He’s very instinctive and when he’s running downfield in your direction just know he’s coming in with bad intentions… Not only can he lay the BOOM but he’s a very secure tackler once he gets his hands on you. 400 tackles and 13 forced fumbles in his NCAA career is as consistent as it gets. I would love to see him become the heartbeat this Detroit Lions defense needs, and with his on the field IQ and insane motor I can see him becoming just that.

Those are my 2 guys to watch out for after Week 1 of the PreSeason, I expect a few more after this week. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!