My first in-person scout of the new year was a real treat. Georgetown is a local squad with a few intriguing long-term NBA prospects under new coach, Ed Cooley, who is determined to bring a winner back to the basketball-crazed area. Creighton is a talented squad with multiple draftable prospects and potentially four NBA players.
Here are some of my raw scouting notes from the matchup.
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New York Giants legend Eli Manning has offered to be a resource for Jaxson Dart as the young quarterback adjusts to life in the NFL, but scoring dinner reservations is not what the two-time Super Bowl champion had in mind. Manning spoke about his relationship with Dart during the latest episode of "The Schrager Hour" podcast with ESPN's Peter Schrager, which was released on Thursday. Manning said that after Dart was drafted by the Giants, Manning told his fellow former Ole Miss star to reach out if Dart needs anything at all. Dart took Manning up on the offer at the start of training camp. Manning, who played behind Kurt Warner as a rookie with the Giants, thought Dart might be looking to pick his brain about backing up Russell Wilson or something else related to football. Instead, Manning says Dart wanted Eli to secure him a reservation at one of the best restaurants in New York City, 4 Charles Prime Rib. "All of a sudden it's training camp and he calls me one day and he's like, 'You got a minute?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, of course,'" Manning recalled. "It's such a similar situation we're in — bringing in a veteran like Russell Wilson, they brought in Kurt Warner (ahead of me). I was like, maybe this is dealing with that or something. "He goes, 'Can you get me a reservation at 4 Charles tonight at 6:30?' I was like, 'No, no, no, that's not part of the deal. When I said I'm happy to help out, I'm not doing that. I'm not your reservations guy. You have to earn the right to call and get your reservation.'" You can't fault Dart for trying. Dart probably hasn't accomplished enough with the Giants yet to secure a last-second reservation at 4 Charles Prime, but Manning is royalty in New York. As Manning said, hard-to-get dinner reservations have to be earned. Dart saw some brief action during New York's 40-37 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but he did not attempt a pass. He is going to have to win a few games in the NFL before Manning will help him with fine dining.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Packers TE Tucker Kraft had “a little scare but all good” regarding the knee injury he suffered during Thursday’s practice squad. “I think he will be OK,” Schefter’s source added. The Packers were optimistic that Kraft’s knee injury wasn’t a season-threatening issue, but they had to get tests run before saying for certain. It’s still unclear whether he will be able to play in Week 3. Kraft, 24, was a two-year starter for South Dakota State and earned first-team All-American honors in 2021 and third-team in 2022. The Packers selected him in the third round with the No. 78 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s in the third year of a four-year, $5,537,934 rookie contract that included a $1,027,588 signing bonus. In 2025, Kraft has appeared in two games for the Packers and caught eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ 2025 season saw the arrival of highly-touted prospect Liam Doyle. He wasted no time making an impact. The left-handed pitcher selected fifth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, has swiftly moved through the Cardinals’ minor league system. Furthermore, he has showcased the high-octane stuff that made him a top-five pick. Doyle, known for his “fiery competitiveness” and “swing and miss stuff,” was a standout at the University of Tennessee, where he was named the 2025 Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year. His college career was marked by a remarkable strikeout rate. Impressively, he shattered Tennessee’s single-season strikeout record. This dominance continued as he transitioned to professional baseball. Doyle Impressive in Debut The 21-year-old southpaw began his professional career with a debut for the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals. In his first outing, he recorded three strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings, signaling his ability to overpower hitters. His performance was strong enough that the organization quickly promoted him. The Cardinals assigned Doyle to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals to help with their playoff push. In his Double-A debut, Doyle was just as effective, striking out three batters in two scoreless innings. His overall minor league stats for the 2025 season show a combined 2.45 ERA with six strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched across both levels. While the sample size is small, his ability to generate a high number of strikeouts and hold opponents scoreless, particularly at the Double-A level, is a testament to his talent. Powerful Arsenal The lefty’s arsenal is centered around a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has reached 100 mph. Also, he has a solid slider and cutter, which has allowed him to dominate hitters. Scouts note his ability to get the most out of his body with a high-effort, up-tempo delivery. His rapid promotion to Double-A shows the Cardinals’ belief in his potential to be a key part of their future rotation. As the season concludes, Doyle’s impressive debut should give fans some hope for the future. Furthermore, the fireball-throwing lefty has solidified his position as one of the Cardinals’ top prospects and should be able to contribute at the big league level soon.
The Las Vegas Raiders had high hopes and expectations when they took Boise State phenom Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in this year's draft. It's becoming increasingly rare to see running backs drafted so high, but after watching him post one of the single greatest seasons in college football history, he looked more than worthy of that honor. So far, however, the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist has looked quite mortal in his first two games in the pros. Ashton Jeanty hasn't gotten off to a fast start in the NFL He logged 38 yards and one score in his NFL debut, and then logged just 43 yards on 11 carries in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. That's why Raiders head coach Pete Carroll had to admit that they needed to take things slowly with Jeanty. While he acknowledged that they hadn't done much to put Jeanty in a position to succeed, he remains optimistic about the RB's prospects. "We're just getting started (with Jeanty)," Carroll told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "He's breaking into the NFL. He's figuring it out. He'll get more carries. We have to run the ball more effectively. We only got (68 yards), and that's not enough. We need more than that. We're bringing (Jeanty) along. More will come." Ashton Jeanty knows he has to do better Jeanty is averaging 2.7 yards per attempt, which is a far cry from his 6.4 yards per carry in college. At least he knows he has to be better, and he believes it's just a matter of time before he gets used to the speed of the pros. "Last week it was on me, I didn't do a good job of reading the plays. I'll put it on myself again this week," Jeanty said. "Just getting used to the speed, honestly. Last week kind of felt like I was moving a little slower, this week felt better. Still not there yet, but once it happens, it will be good." Jeanty continued commenting on the situation on Wednesday. He didn't mince words. Jeanty has posted the fewest rushing yards (81) among players with at least 30 carries, and his next chance to turn the page will come in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders' beatable run defense.