Welcome to the Skull Session.
Oh, no! It's a Cavalanche!
Cleveland won this series by 122 points: The most lopsided series in NBA playoff history.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 29, 2025
Have a good Tuesday.
WAY, WAY, WAY TOO EARLY. Moments after the 2025 NFL draft ended, Pro Football Focus ranked its top prospects available in 2026. That list started with unanimous All-American Caleb Downs at No. 1 overall.
Downs, who transferred from Alabama last offseason, has been the most valuable safety in college football over the past two seasons, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average (WAA) metric. His 91.7 overall PFF grade in that span is second among all FBS safeties, while his 91.2 PFF coverage grade is third. Downs is also a fantastic run defender, leading all players on this list with 35 run-defense stops and an 88.5 PFF run-defense grade since 2023. Downs is an incredibly versatile player who can thrive at free safety, slot corner or in the box. Not to mention, he’s also a dynamic punt returner.
No arguments there.
While I don’t believe Downs will be the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, considering teams often use the selection to draft a quarterback, left tackle or defensive end, he should be the first prospect off the board. Downs can do whatever, wherever. He can cover. He can run. He can tackle. He can do it all. Like, I’m convinced that if a coach wanted him to be the team’s quarterback, he could do it. That’s how impressive he is!
“A WINNING ORGANIZATION.” Ohio State fans can call the Arizona Cardinals the Arizona Buckeyes – and for good reason. In the past three years, the Cardinals have drafted Paris Johnson Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr., Cody Simon and Denzel Burke and signed Josh Fryar to an undrafted free agent deal.
In a Saturday press conference, Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort pushed back on the notion that he has started to collect Buckeyes like Infinity Stones, much like Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has done with Georgia Bulldogs in recent years. Still, Ossenfort complimented Ohio State head coach Ryan Day for stewarding a “winning organization” that has prepared the program’s draft prospects for the next level.
Arizona Cardinals GM talks about how they value having players from Ohio State on their roster. The Cardinals value the Buckeyes for winning at a high level and the competition at practice. Earlier in the interview, he also praised Ryan Day's program. pic.twitter.com/uxnGhTVvWf
— JBook. (@JBook_37) April 28, 2025
“We are not taking them because they were at Ohio State. We are taking them because of the value on our board, and it just so happens that they played at Ohio State,” Ossenfort said.
Hm. I don’t believe him.
He continued: “But I do think there is value in coming from a winning organization. (They produce) guys who are used to winning, have played at the highest level, played in games that are really high stakes through the playoff run there. … I think another added benefit is the competition that those guys practiced against every day. … Nobody has had a tougher assignment in practice the past four years than Denzel Burke. The guys he’s had to cover in practice, I mean, holy smokes.”
It’s OK, Monti. You can admit to liking Ohio State players. It’s a great strategy to draft Buckeyes.
When asked about Cody Simon, Cardinals assistant GM David Sears added: “He really had a chance this year to kind of run the show for them. I think his tape improved throughout the year. He had a really strong playoffs. Going back to that championship DNA, like, you can see that in this kid. He certainly had command of the team. When you have command of an elite defense like that, that says something about your character, your knowledge, because they’re not just gonna look to anybody. Those guys are all high-level players that turned to this guy to give them direction, so that’s a big factor in it.”
Burke, Simon, Harrison, Johnson – yeah, the Cardinals are on the come-up.
YEAH, SO THIS IS ABSURD. Ossenfort’s comments about Ohio State’s talent reminded me of how absurd the program’s 2021 class looks four years later. Of the 24 prospects the Buckeyes signed in the class, 12 heard their names called at the 2024 and 2025 NFL drafts.
12!
- No. 1 overall prospect Quinn Ewers → No. 231 overall to the Dolphins
- No. 4 JT Tuimoloau → No. 45 to the Colts
- No. 5 Jack Sawyer → No. 123 to the Steelers
- No. 10 Emeka Egbuka → No. 19 to the Buccaneers
- No. 19 Donovan Jackson → No. 24 to the Vikings
- No. 28 Kyle McCord → No. 181 to the Eagles
- No. 53 Michael Hall Jr. → No. 54 to the Browns (2024)
- No. 73 Jordan Hancock → No. 170 to the Bills
- No. 97 Marvin Harrison Jr. → No. 4 to the Cardinals (2024)
- No. 166 Tyleik Williams → No. 28 to the Lions
- No. 199 Denzel Burke → No. 174 to the Cardinals
Quick math: 12 of 24 means 50 percent of the 2021 class will suit up on Sundays this fall. That’s an incredible accomplishment for Ryan Day – one that will be hard to beat in the years to come!
ATKINSON HAS “INTRIGUING POTENTIAL.” Former North Carolina defensive end Beau Atkinson committed to Ohio State on Wednesday. The #BOOM was loud in Columbus last week, but I’m not sure it was loud enough, as Atkinson ended the spring as ESPN’s No. 4 overall transfer behind quarterback Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee → UCLA), defensive end David Bailey (Stanford → Texas Tech) and running back Jaydn Ott (Cal → Oklahoma).
Here’s what ESPN’s Max Olson and Tom Luginbill said about Atkinson over the weekend:
HT: 6-6 | WT: 265 | Class: Redshirt sophomore
Background: Atkinson showed intriguing potential during his redshirt freshman season with the Tar Heels and took a big step forward in 2024 with a team-high 25 pressures, 12 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. That's impressive production for an edge rusher who played an average of only 28 snaps per game. The former three-star recruit is viewed as a rising prospect with legitimate NFL draft pick potential, and he still has two more seasons to keep improving. — Max Olson
Scout's take: This is a big loss for North Carolina, as Atkinson solidified himself as a future difference-maker on this team in 2024 and drew a lot of attention as a pass rusher, which makes him ultra-attractive in the transfer portal. He has length, good hand usage and plays with a high motor. He's extremely disruptive in one-on-one matchups. He's a locker room guy who will bring leadership traits and maturity along with a high level of production to his next destination. -— Tom Luginbill
What he brings to Ohio State: The defending national champs lost Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton to the NFL and went into the spring portal period seeking quality D-line help to complement their returning talent. Atkinson emerged as a top priority as soon as he became available. After a spring under Bill Belichick, he'll play for Belichick's former protege Matt Patricia in Columbus and should be an impact addition at defensive end. — Olson
This stat from Olson impressed me: Atkinson recorded a team-high 25 pressures, 12 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks with an average of 28 snaps per game. Get this man some more snaps and let him go to work!
SONG OF THE DAY. “U Can't Touch This” - MC Hammer.
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