By Ryan Frye
To understand the creation of this series, you first have to know my story.
For the past five and a half years, around these parts I've been a wrestling writer for Bleacher Report, for WrestleEnigma, briefly for TNAsylum, and now for Questionable Critics. But before I was a wrestling writer, or a wrestling fan, I was a football fan. And that's where this story begins.
To understand the creation of this series, you first have to know my story.
For the past five and a half years, around these parts I've been a wrestling writer for Bleacher Report, for WrestleEnigma, briefly for TNAsylum, and now for Questionable Critics. But before I was a wrestling writer, or a wrestling fan, I was a football fan. And that's where this story begins.
I remember being in the room when the 2002 AFC Championship Game was on; the Oakland Raiders vs. the Tennessee Titans. Something about that game hooked me, and in the coming years, I'd become increasingly interested in football. My favorite part of the NFL calendar, though, quickly became the NFL Draft.
Fast forward to 2008. Mike Smith—East Tennessee State University (ETSU) alumni—was hired as the Atlanta Falcons head coach. Smith was apart of a foundation to bring ETSU’s football program back, and apart of that same foundation was my dad. At the time, I was twelve.
I'm not even sure how it happened, but I began doing annual reports for the Falcons about the NFL Draft. And for several years, I went to the Falcons’ mini-camp and actually got feedback—primarily from now Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell.
I've gradually lost touch with the franchise, particularly since Smith was let go last year (and since became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator.)
These reports though were on sleepers, which were defined as a player projected to be taken in the third round or later.
So now, I’m introducing a similar concept with my all-new All-Sleeper Team series.
From now until the 2016 NFL Draft, I will be releasing eleven articles introducing new members of my all-sleeper team. Each article will consist of two new sleepers. The first will be released tomorrow, March 23rd.
I’m not Mel Kiper or Mike Mayock, nor am I claiming to be. I'm just a dude combining my years of NFL Draft nerdom with my writing. You could call me a questionable critic, and I'm okay with that.
Fast forward to 2008. Mike Smith—East Tennessee State University (ETSU) alumni—was hired as the Atlanta Falcons head coach. Smith was apart of a foundation to bring ETSU’s football program back, and apart of that same foundation was my dad. At the time, I was twelve.
I'm not even sure how it happened, but I began doing annual reports for the Falcons about the NFL Draft. And for several years, I went to the Falcons’ mini-camp and actually got feedback—primarily from now Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell.
I've gradually lost touch with the franchise, particularly since Smith was let go last year (and since became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator.)
These reports though were on sleepers, which were defined as a player projected to be taken in the third round or later.
So now, I’m introducing a similar concept with my all-new All-Sleeper Team series.
From now until the 2016 NFL Draft, I will be releasing eleven articles introducing new members of my all-sleeper team. Each article will consist of two new sleepers. The first will be released tomorrow, March 23rd.
I’m not Mel Kiper or Mike Mayock, nor am I claiming to be. I'm just a dude combining my years of NFL Draft nerdom with my writing. You could call me a questionable critic, and I'm okay with that.
