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What’s good, my youth? It’s been a hot minute since I lit up the keyboard with an article so I decided to get back into it. The draft is right around the corner. To me, this is a farewell to all of our favorite faces from college football. Sure, a new season of college ball will return like an old friend in late August/ early September, but we will never forget those who left an imprint on our hearts for however many Saturday afternoons they were around. With that said, I felt like it was appropriate to breakdown my favorite players in this year’s draft class. Notice that this is a list of my favorite players and not necessarily who I think will have the best NFL career. For what it’s worth, I was a big Ryan Mallet guy when he came out of Arkansas ( and I still am). Feel free to chirp me for whatever you disagree with. I look forward to chirping back. Baker Mayfield (QB, Oklahoma) The Bake Show. The Sooners signal caller is one of the most controversial players in this year’s class. He’s firey, cocky/confident, and short in stature . He wears headbands, even though his hair isn’t that long. He also rocks crop tops with no sign of abdominal muscles. For all of these reasons, I love Baker Mayfield. If he weren’t so good at football, he would just be another frat boy. However, Baker was known to walk it like he talked it all season. He accounted for nearly 5000 total yards and 49 touchdowns. He also took home that little bronze trophy they call the Heisman. Soooo, yeah, guy can play a little bit. When it comes to the NFL, Mayfield doesn’t exactly fit the ideal quarterback mold. He’s outspoken. He slings it around the yard, which can make some people nervous, and he doesn’t exactly have a level demeanor. Regardless of all these knocks on Baker, the dude has excelled at every level against the toughest competition. I’m not saying Baker will be an instant success in the League, but I wouldn’t bet against him. Christian Kirk (WR, Texas A&M) This is a guy I’ve been keeping up with since his true freshman season. In all aspects, of his game, this dude is just a dawg (not to be confused with “dog”). He totaled over 900 receiving yards in each of his three seasons at Texas A&M, and went over 1000 his freshman season in 2015. Kirk was also a human stick of dynamite in the return game for the Aggies (6 career touchdowns). I’ve never been an NFL coach, so I don’t know what kind of players they dream about, but if I had to guess, I would say they would resemble Christian Kirk. He’s squeaky clean off the field and, from what I can tell, he’s a football nut. Even his social media is littered with content about his training and diet. Kirk had impressive showings at the combine and his pro day. The Patriots have already scheduled a private workout with him. New England would be a great spot for Kirk to land. Besides the fact that he’s athletic and not white, he completely fits what they look for in a slot receiver. It’s 2018, but that’s still a funny joke right? All things considered, this guy checks all the boxes that you would assume NFL teams have for prospects. At the very least, Kirk will make an immediate impact via special teams for a team on Sundays. Minkah Fitzpartick (DB, Alabama) Admittedly, I am an offensive guy. I like to see 80-yard bombs and a lot of touchdowns. Sue me. Given that information, I am really high on this kid out of Alabama. Minkah Fitzpatrick may be the safest pick in this entire draft. The guy can play nickel, corner, or safety. He’s been a major contributor on, more or less, the best defense in the country for the last three seasons. He has tremendous ball skills (9 interceptions in his career) and is a sure tackler (171 over his career). Another positive to Fitzpatrick is his intangibles. He’s going to be able to come into an NFL training camp and hit the ground running. He won’t be lagging in terms of understanding the scheme because he played, basically, 3 positions in an NFL defensive system the entirety of his college career. Bottom line, this is a guy who is very polished and has a skill set that is fun to watch. If nothing else, Minkah will be more than ready to run down and make tackles on kickoff and punt during his rookie season. The college football season is not yet upon us, but the draft process is the next best thing. These guys may or may not be studs on Sundays, but they have earned my admiration from their time spent on Saturdays. We’re excited to get this offseason cranked up. Don’t blink. You might miss something. Have a great day kids, now go outside and play. Honorable Mentions: Jaleel Wadood (S, UCLA) Demario Richard (RB, Arizona State) Lamar Jackson (QB, Louisville) Orlando Brown (OT, Oklahoma) Hilarious testing numbers, but allowed 0 sacks last season. “What do you say we interview you?”- Step Brothers