Then And Now

I believe that this year has gone by really fast. Because of all of my sports and school, I have been so busy, it hasn't even hit me that there is only three more weeks of school left. Being a freshman in high school is both a great thing, and a bad thing. I really enjoyed this year, even though I was considered the "fresh meat" of the high school. In terms of sports, my football years didn't really go as planned, but I learned a lot from it. This was the first year that a lot of my friends decided to play football, and because of that, it was really fun to travel with them and make memories in places nobody has ever heard of. I learned to deal with defeat by moving onto the next day with a positive attitude, knowing that I will succeed the next time I am out on the field. I also really learned that without friends, life is nothing. If it weren't for my guys picking me up after a tough loss, I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about what I did wrong, and just move on. Because I was a freshman, being on the football team was also a time where I could improve my ability to block out shit that people say to me. I learned really fast this year that being a freshman is the lowest of the low in terms of any high school sport. But, this made me realize that I should really try to make the incoming freshman feel welcomed.

Me during freshman year

I really believe that this school year has changed me as well. I used to think that getting straight A's was the only way I could make people proud of me. But I quickly realized that this isn't necessarily possible. I took some really hard classes this year, which unfortunately, stopped me form having that perfect 4.0. I learned that as long as you try your hardest, everyone will be proud of you. You need to stop thinking that perfect is actually perfect. To be honest, I am actually really happy that I didn't get a 4.0. I was able to release tons of stress that was just stuck inside of me. This blog was also a great way to release my stress. I learned to let my anger out in words, not with my fists.

Just Relax- Thanks to www.onwardstate,com for the pic

Most importantly, I learned to be a true teammate with my high school baseball team. With my high school team being very good, we had high expectations at the beginning of the season. We needed to practice our ass's off in order to get to where we wanted to be, and we did. We had practice every week day for over 6 months and right now are in the state playoffs. My coach, Lou Green, taught us how to play for each other and not care about our statistics, but only the outcome of the game. At the beginning of the season, I didn't know any upper class men on the team. Now, I am good friends with every person associated with the team. I would do anything to fight for a win with my team, and would die to win with my team. Overall, I am happy with the person I turned into, and I learned to be me.

49ers Complete Draft

The 2015 NFL Draft has officially ended. This years draft was full of crazy talent, with players that are bound to make an impact in the NFL. I believe that the 49ers drafted some great players that will make a big difference for the future 49er teams. They have shown to pick great players in the past, that being Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Alex Smith, Eric Reid, etc. With all of those players, you know that the 49ers will make intelligent picks in any draft, and in my opinion, very heavily in this years draft. I thought that everyone of the 49ers 2015 draft picks had great logic behind it, and were all players with appropriate backgrounds and positive teammates in their locker rooms. Here are my opinions on some of this years draft picks by the red and gold.

We all know by now that the 49ers selected Arik Armstead with their first pick in this years draft. The rest of their draft picks really got me excited. All of the players seemed like good guys that will make the football team better, and most importantly, seemed like they had a lot of talent that could be used on the 49ers team. With their second round pick, the 49ers selected strong safety, Jaquiski Tartt. This safety from Samford proved to be a force on the defensive side of the ball. He was known to be the biggest hitter on the team, and proved it in his senior season. At 6'1" and 225 pounds, Tartt is a big framed defensive back that is not scared to lay the boom on anybody on the offensive side of the ball. His highlights proved to me that he could cover the whole field, and would lay the wood on the ball carrier when they met up. I believe that the 49ers will try to convert him to a linebacker/safety hybrid defensive player. He will most likely be a special teams player for this years Niners team. The 49ers third round pick was Outside Linebacker, Eli Harold, from University of Virginia. Harold was a great pass rusher at Virginia and is most likely going to be a backup to Aaron Lynch. The 49ers then got tight end, Blake Bell, in the fourth round. A converted quarterback, Bell has great size and hands. In the fifth round, the Niners picked up running back, Mike Davis, from South Carolina. Davis will join the 49ers deep running back core. The rest of the 49ers picks consisted of another tight end, two offensive guards, a wide receiver, and a punter.

Tartt will be a great "Head Hunter" for the Niners- Thanks to www.NFL.com for the pic

Overall, I really do think that the 49ers had an extremely efficient draft this year. They fixed up most of the positions that needed depth help, and came away with some crazy talent. One thing that I would have really liked to see was the Niners select a cornerback. Even though they have players coming off the injured reserve, they still need another strong corner to help structure their secondary. But besides that, I am looking forward to seeing the rookies compete for positions, and help take this decorated franchise to another Super Bowl.

First Day of Draft- Check!

Finally! The first day of the draft is over and I can't keep my emotions in! I was looking forward to this day for so long, and now that it is finally gone, I am both happy and sad. I thought that it was a great draft, with so many young talents being selected in the first round. I want to first talk about some traditional things that I do each year during the draft. First of all, I always watch the draft with my dad and younger brother. No matter where I am, who I am with, or what I am doing, I will always be sitting next to the two of them before the first pick is made. I also will always have a good snack to accompany me through the torment of waiting for the Niners to pick. Next, I wait pick after pick until the Niners are on the clock. There is no other way to describe the NFL draft than the best three days of the whole year.

So with that out of the way, lets talk about the picks in the draft. With the first pick in the NFL draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select, Jameis Winston, Florida State quarterback. I really don't think that it was a big surprise to see the 2013 Heisman Trophy taken first in the draft. Winston was a hell of a quarterback for the Seminoles while he played there. He made game winning plays, week after week, and proved to the nation that he was the best player in college football. I understand that he didn't have the best combine this year, but he showed that he could make the plays that he needed to make, and can lead a team anywhere. I mean, he won twenty four straight games as a starting quarterback, with most of those wins being come form behind. He pretty much showed that he can perform well at any level and lead any team to a potential championship. The second pick of the draft came from the Tennessee Titans, selecting Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. There really isn't much to say about Mariota. I believe that he was the most electrifying player in college football for the three years he was at Oregon, and showed that he was also one of the most athletic in the country. He was a very efficient, dual threat quarterback with a gun for an arm. He showed that he was smart, throwing only four interceptions all of last year. He also threw forty two touchdown passes, while also running for fifteen. These stats are just the beginning to who Mariota is. He was highly respected by all of his teammates, and had the best attitude in the locker room according to his coaches. I think that with time, he will turn into an amazing quarterback in the NFL.

Will Marcus Mariota be efficient?- Thanks to www.http://cdn.fansided.com for the pic.

Based on the first two picks of the draft, I believe that all of the teams picked intelligent players that fit their schemes perfectly. The talent in this draft was crazy and all teams got at least one player capable of changing their team. The Niners ended up taking Arik Armstead form Oregon, which left me dying to see who they would take tomorrow. I am so excited for what is next, and guarantee that the second day of the draft will be just as good as the first!