I know that cut down day has come and gone, leaving many a player behind in its wake. I know the Tennessee Titans just wrapped up the preseason at 2-1 after dominating the New England Patriots backups on Friday night. Hey, I get it – there are bigger stories in town right now when we talk about its football team. And, truthfully, I’ve had to step out of office for a couple of days to handle a family emergency. So, I’m way behind on my work here at SoBros Network this week anyway. But, there’s an awesome little story here that I feel like we can’t just gloss over. Rookie running back Tyjae Spears went to the Wilson County Fair and came home with a Derrick Henry jersey. This is the wholesome content we need in the world in 2023.
#Titans RB Tyjae Spears @tyjae22 bought a Derrick Henry @KingHenry_2 jersey at the Wilson County Fair.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 26, 2023
Spears wore the No.22 jersey to @NissanStadium tonight. pic.twitter.com/BngAPBQVnE
How about that? The young rookie…dare I say the heir apparent to King Henry’s throne…showing some love for the legend. You just love to see it. Spears is one of us local yokels getting our kicks at the Wilson County Fair. I hope he enjoyed it because after he runs for 5,000 yards in a Titans uniform and wins the MVP (okay, this might be hyperbole), he’s going to be so recognizable in Nashville that he won’t be able to go to the fair anymore without swarms of people crowding him and making it unbearable. Also, what’s faster? Tyjae Spears or the Tilt-a-whirl?
By the way, I’m not quite ready to take a victory lap on Spears just yet because the explosiveness and play-making ability has to show up in meaningful regular season action before it can be justified. But, I’ll say that at least where we’re at right now, I’m happy to see some of y’all who said this was a waste of a pick come around. I was super high on Spears ever since I watched his tape for my Senior Bowl rep. In fact, let’s revisit my initial eval:
“Burst, acceleration, and pure speed all come to mind when you watch Spears. But, it’s his versatility, patience, and vision that make him an intriguing prospect to me. Spears is great at finding the hole, and when he makes up his mind, he cuts clean, and he fuckin’ goes. His pass-catching potential is underrated – he has the talent to run routes (had him run down field and catch a TD against Houston). Tulane just didn’t give him a very nuanced route tree – mostly effective catching the ball on screens and wheel routes, but I see potential for more because of how naturally he uses his hands to catch the ball. They also ran a lot of wildcat with him. The Cotton Bowl against USC made for some great film. He had a whopping 205 yards and four touchdowns in the game, looked completely unafraid of the moment, picked up some major chunk yardage after finding the hole and getting into space, and showed some tough running, including a gutsy touchdown run. USC was able to get to him before he could get going, which raises concerns about how he’ll adjust to NFL defenses. Not going to be playing American defenses any longer. He did have a fumble from getting a little too loose with the ball and carrying it unnaturally high from trying to avoid contact. His pass protection ability is unproven, which limits his value in the NFL. But, this is a guy that could make some noise in the NFL if he ends up on the right team – 49ers, Rams, Ravens, Eagles, Titans.”
You love to see it. By the way, if you want more evals like this for 2024, become a VIP subscriber at Stacking The Inbox to get all my 2024 NFL Draft coverage. I’ve already evaluated like 14 players so we’re off to the races, baby!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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