SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #1 Aaron Donald

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #1 Aaron Donald

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by | Sep 4, 2019 | Featured, NFL

1.  Aaron Donald

Team: Los Angeles Rams

Position: DT

Experience: 5 Years

After the month long countdown, it is finally the pinnacle of the SneakerReporter Top 30 list. At this point you could probably figure out who was #1 after the reveal of Bears Khalil Mack at #2. Aaron Donald embodies everything you need in a leader and star football player. It starts with his unmatched work ethic and his continued improvement throughout his five years in the league. Just one of his off season workouts will prove to you how gifted he is athletically. 

Donald played his college ball at the University of Pittsburgh, electing to stay for all four years. Very wise on his behalf, as his senior year performance would skyrocket his draft stock into the top half of the first round, after initialing not being seen as that type of talent. During his 2013 senior season, Donald received five different awards such as the Vince Lombardi Award and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also recognized as a consensus All American. 

Heading into the draft, the only blemish on Donald’s stock was his lacking size. Prototypical Defensive Tackles stand taller and heavier than Donald, as Scouts claimed: “Marginal height and frame is nearly maxed out…Overpowered in the run game and ground up by double teams”(NFL.com). The scouts didn’t know that Aaron Donald was creating a new prototype. He is the needle in the haystack, and because of his success, he could have altered the Defensive Tackle position for the next generation. 

Donald’s NFL introduction was something you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy, as Jeff Fisher had the Franchise going backwards. Even with horrific management, Donald found a way to make his presence known. He played in all 16 games his rookie season, starting in 12 of them. He recorded 9.0 sacks, 2 FF, and found his way to the Pro-Bowl. That’s a fantastic start for anyone’s career, but Donald wasn’t satisfied. 

He came back to his sophomore season with even more flare, increasing his numbers in every single defensive category. He reached double digit sacks with 11.0 and had a ridiculous 37 QB hits, compared to his 13 as a rookie. He earned his first All-Pro recognition in his second year, and hasn’t missed one since. Donald continued to bloom into a superstar over the next two seasons, but 2018 solidified his greatness in NFL history. Last season, he led the league with 20.5 sacks. This number made him the new all time leader in sacks for his position over a season. Aaron Donald is reshaping the mold for prototypical interior linemen, and his play over the last 5 seasons has earned him the top spot on the NFL  SneakerReporter Top 30.

Sep 4, 2019 No Comments
The ‘What The’ Air Jordan IV is the perfect fusion

The ‘What The’ Air Jordan IV is the perfect fusion

Sneaker Releases

by | Sep 3, 2019 | Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Nike is known for taking risks on their legacy shoes. Whether it be revamping them with a new technology or making them more breathable, Nike is always putting innovation and renovation at the forefront. Nothing has made an impact as much as their “What The” series which combines multiple colorways into a shoe in a sort of patchwork quilt format. The newest pair in the series takes one of the most celebrated shoes in the Air Jordan IV and cloaks it in some of the best colors the shoe has ever seen.

Taking inspiration from the “Fire Red,” “Bred,” “Military Blue,” and “White Cement” colorways, the “What The” 4s are the ultimate fusion of Air Jordan 4 colorways. Whereas many pairs in the “What The” series have a tendency to look too busy these are a perfect blend of some of the most legendary colors in Jordan IV history.

Look for these to drop November 23.

Images via @hanzuying

Sep 3, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #3 Patrick Mahomes

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #3 Patrick Mahomes

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by | Sep 2, 2019 | Featured, NFL

3. Patrick Mahomes

 

Team: Kansas City Chiefs

Position: QB

Experience: 2 Years

“With the 10th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Patrick Mahomes II, QB”. Ever since that night, nothing was the same. As the Chiefs began to slip into mediocrity, Andy Reid knew they needed a long term answer. Little did everyone know that draft night would completely alter the landscape of the NFL. As a rookie, Mahomes was the backup to Alex Smith, playing in only the final regular season game. Smith proved to be a great mentor for Mahomes, as his professionalism clearly rubbed off on the young talent.

Mahomes truly had a historic 2018 season, breaking multiple Chiefs all time records. In Mahomes 16 regular season starts, the Texas Tech product threw for a record setting 5097 Yards and 50 TDs. He broke the Chiefs record for Touchdowns, Yards, Passer Rating and Passes Completed, just to name a few. Mahomes led the league in Touchdowns, Touchdown Percentage and QBR. He was easily the most influential offensive player in the game.

After capturing the MVP award in 2018, Mahomes has his eye on bigger prizes heading into 2019. Kansas City made major moves throughout the offseason, with the latest being the addition of Veteran RB LeSean McCoy. McCoy has had his troubles the last few years with the struggling Bills, but his return to Andy Reid and his schemes may rejuvenate his young legs. The Chiefs were one Dee Ford offside call away from the Super Bowl in 2018, and with another year of Mahomes and Reid at the helm, it is championship or bust in Kansas City.

The real question is how could 9 teams have passed up this talent back in 2017? The Chicago Bears were the only team to select a QB before Mahomes, electing to go with North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky. Plenty of time to tell but as of now what a mistake that was! In the Bears defense, overlooking Mahomes was somewhat easier in 2017, as his college coach Kliff Kingsbury employed a high powered aerial attack that wasn’t certain to translate at the next level. T

Mahomes is truly a generational talent, and his passion for the game matches it. Comparisons to Brett Favre are becoming common early in his career. Ultimately, Mahomes could go down as one of the best to ever play the position. Ever if Mahomes numbers decrease, he will be one of the best gunslingers in the league for the next decade and a half. Mahomes could certainly find himself at the top of SneakerReporter’s Top 30 countdown for years to come.

 

 

Sep 2, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #5 Bobby Wagner

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #5 Bobby Wagner

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by | Aug 31, 2019 | Featured, NFL

5. Bobby Wagner

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Position: MLB

Experience: 7 Years

The SneakerReporter’s highest rated inside linebacker and the best in the business, Bobby Wagner. Wagner came into the league in 2012 and his career took off as the Legion of Boom dominated the NFL, leading the Hawks to the 2014 Super Bowl Title. Although most of the recognition went elsewhere, Wagner patrolled the middle of the field, while also shutting down runs with ease. Without him, the Legion of Boom looks a lot different and may never win a championship.

When the Seahawks drafted Wagner in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the scouting report on him was that he plays with a terrific motor but could be undersized at the NFL level. The scouts weren’t wrong about the motor at all, as Wagner has an uncanny sense of reading plays and blowing up running backs in the backfield. In his rookie season he had over 130 combined tackles, three INTs, and 9 tackles for loss. Wagner quickly put the concerns about his size to rest. 

The Seahawks Super Bowl run in 2014 really catapulted Wagner into the elite category, finally receiving some well earned recognition. He made his first Pro-Bowl and First Team All-Pro in 2014. Since then, he has yet to miss a Pro-Bowl and has earned First Team All-Pro honors three more times (2016, 2017, 2018). Wagner’s versatility is what makes him so special. He is quick enough to stay with receivers over the middle but also strong enough to shed linemen on the interior. 

Bobby Wagner has all the ideal qualities for an inside linebacker. At 6’0” 240 lbs., Wagner is an absolute wrecking ball. His explosion and hit power are some of the best in the NFL today. But perhaps Wagner’s best trait of all, he never misses tackles. Wagner and Kuechly are known as some of the best form tacklers in the league, but Wagner took it to a whole new level in 2018 when he only missed one tackle the entire season. Wagner already owns real estate in the Seahawks Record book as the All Time leader in Solo Tackles, as well as the most tackles in a single season, with 168 in 2016. 

Wagner holds his spot as one of the last members of the Super Bowl winning squad in 2014. Wagner has been healthy for the majority of his career, hopefully foreshadowing many more years of dominance. At only 29 years old, expect Wagner to keep producing elite numbers. Bobby Wagner is truly an underappreciated star in today’s league. He isn’t about the fame and antics, he strictly gets the job done. 

Aug 31, 2019 No Comments
Pistons guard Reggie Jackson says he was close to retiring from the NBA

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson says he was close to retiring from the NBA

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by | Aug 30, 2019 | Featured, NBA

In recent years one of the biggest uncertainties when it came to the Detroit Pistons was if Reggie Jackson would be healthy enough to play the whole season. These questions & uncertainties took a toll on optimistic Pistons fans as they hoped for their team to go into each season at a hundred percent. Reggie Jackson recently did an interview with The Detroit News, where he detailed the toll that his reoccurring injuries had placed on him. Getting so bad that he even contemplated retirement once his contract was up.

“A few years back, I thought (my future) was retirement after this season,” Jackson said in his interview with The Detroit News. “I’m just happy to be in a good state of mind and playing ball this year. We’ll figure (the future) out from there. I’m excited about what we can possibly do this year… I was just getting injured too much and I had hit basketball depression and it was a point in time that I really didn’t want to deal with the game anymore. It was more the injuries that started to have that (retirement) thought creep in my head.” 

Hopefully, this is the end of Reggie Jackson injury woes, and he can get back to the high level of basketball he’s so accustomed to playing at. After playing 82 games last season averaging 15.4 points & 4.2 assists on 42% FG shooting, he may be ready to do just that.

Aug 30, 2019 No Comments