Okay, so about this whole Landon Jackson NFL draft thing. I remember getting kinda hooked on watching his college stuff way before the draft hype really kicked in. It wasn’t anything official, just me, my couch, and a bunch of game replays I managed to find.
My Process – Just Messing Around
First off, I just started watching. Like, really watching. Not just the highlight reels everyone shares, but the full games, even the plays where nothing much happened. You gotta see the whole picture, right? I’d pull up footage from different games, trying to see how he played against different teams, different offensive lines.
I started making little notes. Nothing fancy, just scribbles on a pad. Things like:
- How quick did he get off the ball?
- Did he use his hands well to shed blockers?
- What was his motor like late in the game? Still chasing plays?
- How did he look dropping into coverage, if they asked him to do that?
It became a bit of a routine. Grab some coffee, sit down, and just break down maybe a quarter or two of his play. I wasn’t using fancy software or anything, just my eyes and my own gut feeling. I compared him to other guys projected to go around the same spot, just to get a feel for where he stacked up in my own mind.
Trying to Guess the Spot
Then came the fun part – trying to predict where he’d actually land in the draft. You see all these mock drafts from the big names, but I wanted to see how my own evaluation compared. I tried to ignore the noise, the buzz that builds up, and just stick to what I saw on the tape. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is saying. I specifically tried to figure out which teams might actually need a player with his skillset and where in the draft they might be looking to grab someone like him.
Honestly, doing this kind of deep dive, it wasn’t really about being right. It was more about the process. It reminded me a bit of when I used to tinker with old radios – taking something apart, figuring out how it works, seeing the details. It kept my brain busy, you know? Something focused to do when things were maybe a bit slow elsewhere.
Draft Day and Looking Back
Watching the actual draft unfold was interesting. Seeing where Jackson eventually got picked, comparing it to my notes. Sometimes you’re close, sometimes you’re way off. That’s just how it goes. But the main thing was I’d gone through the exercise myself.
Looking back, the whole thing was just a personal project. It was about the practice of observing, analyzing (in my own simple way), and forming an opinion based on what I saw directly. It’s satisfying to put in that effort, even if it’s just for your own interest. Definitely more engaging than just reading headlines.
