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Buckle your seatbelt for this one: The NFL draft -- which annually produces higher television ratings than the NBA and NHL playoffs -- has spawned an aggregator story about aggregators.
A year ago, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms shared what many considered a hot take. He said Brian Thomas would outperform Marvin Harrison during the wide receivers’ rookie seasons.
NFL teams seemed to disagree, considering that the Cardinals took Harrison fourth overall. Two picks later, the Giants drafted Malik Nabers at 6 and Chicago followed with Rome Odunze at 9. After a run on linemen, Jacksonville and former GM Trent Baalke finally chose Thomas at 23. Clearly, Thomas was in a consensus lower tier of receivers – according to scouts.
And according to aggregators like Ben Axelrod from Awful Announcing, the draft analysis of Simms “isn’t exactly an area where he gets the benefit of the doubt for ranking Thomas ahead of Harrison.”
Simms, whose son took flak at school after Simms predicted Thomas would outshine Harrison, said he took Axelrod’s article personally.
“So, that's where there is a little more pressure on this year because we are going to take a little bit of a victory lap and I hope I get this year's right because you know mine are not going to be exactly what everybody has told you,” Simms said on Tuesday’s edition of the Unbuttoned podcast.
“That's not what I am and it's not that I try to do that. I work hard and hopefully find you guys that people don't know or think about. That's what I really love to do. I'm not trying to get clickbait and that's where last year's comments pissed me off a little bit.”
The issue, of course, is the objective statistics reveal that Simms was correct. Thomas (87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns) actually had a better rookie season than Harrison (885 yards and eight touchdowns on 62 receptions). Now, whether their rookie seasons correspond with their career production is obviously undetermined.
For the record, before last year’s draft, Simms ranked wide receivers in the following order. Nabers and Thomas were in Tier 1, “explosive WR1s.” Harrison was alone in Tier 2, “no bust; NFL ready.” And Tier 3 consisted of Odunze and Roman Wilson, “high-end skillsets.” Wilson went in the third round to Pittsburgh and didn’t see the field as a rookie with ankle and hamstring injuries.
This year, Simms lists Travis Hunter alone in Tier 1, Kyle Williams, Tetairoa McMillan and Jaylin Noel in Tier 2, and Tre Harris alone in Tier 3.
Simms’ film study correctly predicted C.J. Stroud would perform better than Bryce Young in 2023. Simms also ranked Justin Jefferson – the fifth wide receiver selected in 2020 – as his No. 1 wideout, ahead of the four players drafted before him that spring: Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Reagor.
And for the times when Simms wasn’t correct – just like countless scouts and general managers who’ve missed in the past – Axelrod laid it out last year.
“Throughout his career as an analyst, the former Texas star has made a habit of going against the grain with takes like ranking Zach Wilson ahead of Trevor Lawrence in 2021, not including Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in his top five wide receivers in the 2022 class and touting Will Anderson Jr. — another consensus top prospect — as his No. 5 edge defender just a year ago.”
Simms openly admits when he’s wrong. And perhaps the best take came from Simms’ NBC Sports producer.
“This isn't just about a victory lap or freezing cold take,” Pete Damilatis tweeted Tuesday. “When it comes to the draft, which everyone agrees is an inexact science, maybe we should give space to those who go against the groupthink (instead of dismissing it as clickbait).”
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More must-reads:
- Five potential landing spots for Christian Wilkins after stunning Raiders release
- Sizzling AFC training-camp position battles
- The 'Single-season sack leaders by NFL team' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Raiders releasing former big-ticket addition after just one season
Before the 2024 NFL season the Las Vegas Raiders signed defensive lineman Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency to make him a key part of their defensive line. On Thursday, just one year later, the Raiders are releasing him. It is also a situation that is likely to get messy in the coming weeks due to a grievance that Wilkins has filed with the NFLPA. At the center of his release — and grievance — is Wilkins' rehab from a foot injury that cut short his 2024 season after just five games. The Raiders wanted Wilkins to correct the issue with surgery. Wilkins opted not to have the surgery, and as the rehab continued to drag on, there was uncertainty of when he would be able to get back on the field. As recently as Tuesday Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said there was no definitive timeline on when that would be. Just 48 hours later, Wilkins was released, with the Raiders attempting to void the remaining $35.2M in guarantees that he was owed on his contract. Wilkins spent the first five year of his career with the Miami Dolphins, and turned a career-year performance in 2023 into a big-ticket free agency contract with the Raiders. The hope was that he could form a dominant 1-2 punch with Maxx Crosby, and for the five games he played he showed the ability to do that. He was just never healthy enough to continue the rest of the season. Now Las Vegas is going to be left asking what could have been, while Wilkins tries to get the money he believes he is owed. Wilkins will turn 30 in December, and if anyone is confident in his ability to come back from the injury, he could still land on a new team and potentially play a big role.
Charlotte Hornets Reportedly Release 24-Year-Old Guard
Damion Baugh spent his rookie season in the NBA playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old had averages of 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 32.3% from the field in 15 games. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hornets will now waive Baugh. Via Scotto: "The Charlotte Hornets are waiving two-way player Damion Baugh, league sources told @hoopshype . Charlotte is waiving Baugh to clear a spot for the addition of Antonio Reeves on a two-way contract." ESPN's Shams Charania had first reported that the Hornets were signing Reeves. Via Charania: "The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The 2024 Pelicans second-round pick averaged 6.9 points and 40% 3-point shooting in 44 games as a rookie last season."
Pelicans exec makes team's stance on Zion Williamson crystal clear
It’s wild how quickly the NBA narrative can flip. A year ago, Zion Williamson was in every trade rumor possible. People were questioning his health, his work ethic, even his future in New Orleans. And the Pelicans? They didn’t really deny any of it. It felt like both sides were one step away from walking. But things have shifted this offseason — quietly, but clearly. The Pelicans could’ve pulled the plug. Zion’s contract gave them outs, and the trade market might’ve still brought back some real value. Instead, they stuck with him. And based on what one of their own just said, they’re not just keeping him around — they’re still betting big on him. In a recent interview with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, an anonymous Pelicans executive made it crystal clear. “Zion is still our guy. We’re all in on him. We think he’s going to have a huge year. We’ve had some bad injury luck and some things that just haven’t worked out. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet.” That’s not something you say if you’re halfway in. They backed it up with their offseason moves, too. They traded CJ McCollum and brought in Jordan Poole, a high-usage creator who can take pressure off Zion. They drafted Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick, a dynamic young guard. They added Kevon Looney, a reliable veteran who brings playoff experience and toughness. Those aren’t tear-it-down moves — those are “let’s try this another way” moves. Of course, Zion’s health is still the question. That never really goes away. He played just 30 games last season, but in those games he looked solid: 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per night on 56.7 percent shooting. The explosiveness was there. The playmaking was sharp. And the hope for New Orleans is that this time, he can finally sustain it. What’s interesting is how the front office is trying to create a better environment around him. Joe Dumars has stepped in to lead basketball operations and is reportedly building a closer relationship with Zion — dinners, real conversations, not just surface-level stuff. It feels like, for once, the team is trying to meet him halfway. It’s a risk, sure. But it’s a calculated one. The West is brutal and the margin for error is thin. Still, if Zion can stay healthy for 60 games, and if Poole finds a rhythm and guys like Trey Murphy and Herb Jones keep improving — this team has a shot to be in the mix. The quote from the exec says it all. They could’ve hit reset, moved on, cleaned house. But they didn’t. They’re still in. And now it’s on Zion to hold up his end of the deal. After everything that’s happened, they’re telling the world they still believe. Now it’s time to find out if they’re right.
Bucks executive opens up on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors
The Milwaukee Bucks' decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard sparked even more Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors on social media. There were already reports that Antetokounmpo was considering his options and potentially forcing his way out of Milwaukee, and the Lillard move did little to alleviate the situation. Nevertheless, the weeks have gone by, and Antetokounmpo is still a Buck. More importantly, the team believes that's not going to change any time soon. "We have no indication that anything is really changing as far as our relationship with the player we think is the best in the world," a Bucks front office executive told Spotrac's Keith Smith. "We rebuilt on the fly, in a really challenging situation, but we think we did it as well as it could be done." Antetokounmpo trade rumors have cooled off around the league, and while anything can happen in the NBA, that doesn't seem likely at this point. "Do I think the star guys like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or LeBron (James) are going to go anywhere? Nope. Is it possible? Sure is," said a Western Conference executive. Giannis chose to stay in Milwaukee with one of the most lucrative contract extensions in NBA history. He was overly critical of the team's effort last season, and another early playoff exit may have driven him to the edge. Even so, he's talked about how he wants to win "the right way," as opposed to chasing rings. That said, with head coach Doc Rivers' long list of questionable postseason performances and a championship window that could be closing right before their eyes, Giannis trade rumors will flood social media again if the Bucks get off to a slow start during the 2026-26 campaign.
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