Tag: Todd McShay

Todd McShay on how Tommy DeVito’s ‘rodent’ agent Sean Stellato won’t stop haunting him

“He’s like this rodent that won’t go away in my life.”

Former ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay can’t escape Sean Stellato, the agent for New York Giants QB Tommy DeVito whose suits and hats have made him a source of conversation on a weekly basis.

McShay — who was also born in Salem, Massachusetts like Stellato –told The Ringer that his own team could have played in a championship game after losing to the Stellato-led squad. But when his team then heard that Stellato’s squad was about lose in a later game, the future agent threw a TD with no time left and McShay didn’t make it to the title contest.

Years later, Stellato wanted to interview McShay about that, and McShay says he told the agent to “go [expletive] himself.” And now he’s seeing Stellato everywhere.

“He’s like this rodent that won’t go away in my life,” he said. Check out the whole clip:

Todd McShay: Tommy DeVito’s agent like a ‘rodent that won’t go away’

Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay says Tommy DeVito’s agent is like a “rodent that won’t go away in my life” but admits it’s an internal issue.

Sean Stellato, the agent for New York Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito, has become a viral sensation in recent weeks. A hiccup with a local pizzeria aside, Stellato has grabbed the attention of the NFL world for his colorful attire and Italian heritage.

Stellato has received as much screen time as Taylor Swift over the past month, and that’s been both positive and negative.

While many of Stellato’s interviews have been grounded and yielded positive reviews, not everyone is a fan. Some around the business, like former ESPN analyst Todd McShay, despise the agent.

During a recent appearance on The Ringer with Ryen Russillo, McShay explained his disdain for Stellato.

“Don’t get me started on Sean Stellato. The fact that Sean Stellato is still in my life drives me crazy,” McShay said. “It’s an indictment on me, I’ll admit it upfront.”

McShay’s reasoning is all personal — an issue dating back to high school.

During his senior season, McShay’s team was undefeated headed into a game against Stellato’s Salem High School. The winner would have the opportunity to control their fate en route to the championship game.

Salem picked up the win but there were still two weeks remaining in the season. McShay’s team rebounded with back-to-back wins and during their final game, word emerged that Stellato’s team was behind late. If they were to falter, McShay and his team would get their championship opportunity.

Ultimately, it was not meant to be.

“Sean Stellato throws a touchdown pass with like no time left. They win that game. We’re shut out (of the championship). Season’s over. High school career is over,” McShay grumbled.

“15 years later I get word from somebody that I know who has talked to Stellato. He’s writing a book about it. And Stellato wants to contact me to do an interview. I tell him to go bleep himself. And I think it’s all going to go away.”

Then came the emergence of DeVito and the DeVito mania that followed. Stellato was suddenly back in the spotlight.

“I’m sitting on my couch a couple of weeks ago, Monday Night Football, and I look at this guy and I’m like, Holy (expletive), that’s Sean Stellato. He won’t go away. He’s like this rodent that won’t go away in my life,” McShay said.

“Again, all my fault, not Sean’s — I’m thrilled for Sean. Good guy, Italian-American Hall of Fame, all the great things. But now I am 46 years old and I am still feeling anguish towards Sean Stellato, and it’s not his fault.”

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How ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage could look after Todd McShay’s layoff

ESPN will have a massive gap in its NFL Draft coverage with Todd McShay gone. Who will fill his shoes?

NFL Draft fans saw a jarring shift in ESPN’s coverage on Friday as longtime draft analyst Todd McShay was laid off amid a series of staffing cuts at the network.

The New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand shared the news on Friday of McShay’s departure.

McShay had been with ESPN since 2006 and been primarily associated with the network’s NFL Draft coverage alongside Mel Kiper Jr.

His layoff puts the network’s NFL Draft coverage in a different space, as new faces could ascend to a more prominent role during the year and especially on draft weekend.

While McShay will be a popular free agent for other sports media companies looking for one of the sharpest minds in the business on the NFL Draft, it’s worth wondering how things will look at ESPN in his absence.

Kiper will most likely continue his role with ESPN until he decides to retire, while a few other names will likely take on expanded roles.

You can likely count on seeing ESPN guys like Mike Greenberg, Booger McFarland and Rece Davis during draft weekend, but who will you hear from year-round?

These three people figure to have expanded roles at the network on broadcast and online.

Commanders go all-in on a QB in Todd McShay’s ‘way-too-early’ 2024 mock draft’

If Washington is picking in the top 10 in 2024, then anything is possible.

Are we really doing another mock draft? After all, the 2023 NFL draft is in the books, but it is never too soon to begin talking about next year’s NFL draft.

That’s exactly what ESPN’s Todd McShay did by releasing his “way too early” 2024 mock draft this week.

And if you’re a Washington Commanders fan, you will be sad and happy. For one, McShay has Washington picking third, but it’s due to a trade with the Indianapolis Colts to select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

Maye is a fantastic talent who looks the part of a future NFL star, but if Washington is picking this high in 2024 it means the 2023 season with another former UNC QB — Sam Howell — was a complete failure. McShay uses Super Bowl odds to determine the draft order in his mock draft, and the Commanders came in at No. 6 before moving up. That likely means Washington also has a new coaching staff in 2024.

Here’s McShay’s analysis of Maye to the Commanders:

Maye is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and has a massive arm. Not only did he throw 38 touchdown passes last season, but he also ran for seven scores and almost 700 yards. Washington might be comfortable with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett at the moment, but the former is a fifth-round pick with one career start, and the latter is a 30-year-old veteran backup on a one-year deal. I understand the Commanders passing on quarterback down the board at No. 16 in 2023, but if they have a chance to get someone like Maye next April, it could change things for the franchise. Washington was outside the top 20 in nearly every passing metric last season.

Maye has everything you look for in an NFL franchise quarterback. He’s big, fast, strong-armed, accurate and can make plays off schedule. While fans would love a quarterback with Maye’s talent, they’d probably tell you they hope things work out with Howell and are picking lower in 2024.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has one Michigan football player going in the first round of his 2024 mock draft

We could see this happening.

Michigan football had nine players selected in the 2023 NFL draft. The Wolverines had Mazi Smith go in the first round to the Dallas Cowboys and four players go in the first three rounds.

NFL draft experts are looking way ahead, and they are starting to scout — and guess — which prospects will enter the 2024 NFL draft. We are still months away from the college football season, let alone next year’s draft, but, hey, it’s what they do.

Todd McShay came out with a first-round mock draft for the 2024 NFL draft ($). The ESPN draft analyst has something happening for the first time since 1985: a Michigan quarterback going in the first round. Jim Harbaugh was the last Wolverine signal-caller to go in the first round, and McShay has the Minnesota Vikings selecting J.J. McCarthy with the 20th pick in his mock draft.

“I thought about Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. here, too, but I ultimately went with McCarthy, who threw for 22 TDs and five interceptions last season in Michigan,” McShay wrote. “There are a handful of passers who could rise into Round 1 — Penix, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Texas’ Quinn Ewers to name a few — but McCarthy is intriguing because of his 6-foot-3 frame, running ability, accuracy and arm talent.”

“In Minnesota, Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his deal, and the team could move on,” McShay pointed out. “Despite winning 13 games last season, the Vikings were outside the top 20 in QBR (49.9). McCarthy could be the future for a team like Minnesota if he takes the next step in 2023.”

McShay had just three quarterbacks being taken in the first round: USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and McCarthy. McCarthy was the only Michigan player McShay had going in the first round.

McCarthy is looking to build on his sophomore campaign which was the first year he started. He threw for 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 64.6% of his passes.

If the former five-star recruit leads Michigan to another Big Ten title or a College Football Playoff birth, the Wolverines could be looking for a new starting quarterback in 2024.

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Eagles land Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in Todd McShay’s early 2024 NFL draft first-round mock

Philadelphia Eagles land a familiar name in Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in Todd McShay’s early 2024 NFL draft first-round predictions

In Todd McShay’s first 2024 NFL mock draft for ESPN, the rich get richer in a familiar way by drafting Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Philadelphia doesn’t typically draft linebackers this early, but Trotter Jr. is no ordinary player.

30. Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., ILB, Clemson*

Porter went to the team that drafted his dad back in 1999 (Pittsburgh) this year, so why not project Trotter to go to the team that selected his dad in 1998 next year? The younger Trotter is coming off a great season and could join Nakobe Dean to fill the hole left up the middle after the departures of T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White. He has great instincts and 6-foot, 230-pound size. He does it all.

The Tigers Preseason All-American is the son of former Philadelphia linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.

Drafted in the third round out of Stephen F. Austin University in 1998, Trotter was the Eagles’ starting middle linebacker by his second NFL season. From 1999-2001, Trotter led the team in tackles while being selected as a first-team All-Pro in 2000 and a second-teamer in 2001.

Trotter re-signed with the Eagles in 2004, helping Philadelphia reach their first Super Bowl since the 1980 season and making his third Pro Bowl appearance. He earned another Pro Bowl again in 2005 but was cut after the 2006 season.

Trotter Jr. had 91 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and a forced fumble last year at Clemson, and would give Sean Desai the three-down linebacker that most franchises can only dream about.

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ESPN’s Todd McShay sees value in Bills’ Dalton Kincaid pick

ESPN’s Todd McShay sees value in #Bills’ Dalton Kincaid pick:

When you think of the Buffalo Bills’ decision to trade up to select tight end Dalton Kincaid, the word “value” doesn’t exactly come to mind.

But one of the draft’s biggest insiders, ESPN’s Todd McShay, made that clever case.

Yes, Kincaid cost the Bills an extra fourth-round pick just to move up two spots on the board. But considering the way the board fell, specifically involving receivers, McShay saw tons of value.

Buffalo snagged Kincaid at No. 25. But just before, receivers went off the board with four-straight selections between 20 and 23.. Putting that into context is what McShay did.

Here’s how McShay made his case as Kincaid being the BIlls’ “most value pick” at the 2023 NFL draft:

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah (Round 1, No. 25)

Maybe you saw this pick late in Round 1 and said, Wait, didn’t the Bills just extend Dawson Knox on a four-year deal last September? You’re not misremembering. But I still love this selection because of what the Bills can do with Kincaid. Look at him more like a 6-foot-4, 246-pound slot receiver who can create mismatches.

Buffalo moved up from No. 27 to get Kincaid at No. 25 just a couple of picks after the top four receivers were selected in consecutive fashion. So rather than reach, why not take the top tight end in the class to give Josh Allen another target? Kincaid accelerates in a flash, can win down the seam and is a smooth route runner. He was second among FBS tight ends last season in yards (890) and touchdowns (eight). The Bills will flex him out to give Stefon Diggs some support and let him feast against zone looks, where he shows the ability to find open windows.

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Todd McShay says RB Kendre Miller was the Saints’ best 2023 draft value pick

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay says third-round running back Kendre Miller was the best New Orleans Saints value pick in 2023:

Which of the New Orleans Saints’ picks in the 2023 NFL draft was your favorite? Was it one of their early headlining picks? A third-day pickup that could be a diamond in the rough? Or one of the two players they traded up to go get?

ESPN senior writer Todd McShay shared his take on the best value picks in the 2023 draft class, and he’s a big fan of the move the Saints made in Round 3 to acquire TCU running back Kendre Miller. We’ll let him tell it:

The Saints have Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams, but Miller is going to see some touches in this offense. The 215-pound back averaged 6.7 yards per carry over three seasons, and he just ran for nearly 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2022. Miller can ski through traffic, weaving in and out of cuts without losing speed, and he has the field vision to find holes. The agility and lower-body flexibility really pop on tape, though he’s not an overpowering back by any means, and he is just adequate in the pass game.

There’s also the current Kamara situation, which could result in a suspension at some point. He pleaded not guilty in March to felony and misdemeanor charges for battery after allegedly punching, kicking and stomping a man in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl week. So adding depth to the running back room could be even more important if the Saints are without Kamara at some point.

The Saints were in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing last season (4.3 yards per carry), and Williams will definitely help, but Miller should be able to sprinkle in some big gains when he gets touches. The only thing truly standing between Miller and a big role in the pros is his receiving skills, which he’ll need to improve on.

I’ve been high on Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener for most of the draft cycle and want to acknowledge my guy, too. At 6-foot, he’s an undersized baller with plus accuracy, and he can develop into a solid backup behind Derek Carr if Jameis Winston doesn’t return in 2024.

We’re high on Miller, too — he brings some much-needed fresh legs and big-play ability to the running backs room, and he certainly isn’t lacking for confidence. As McShay observed, he’ll be tough to keep off the field especially if Kamara if misses time with a suspension. If Miller weren’t rehabbing a December knee injury (which should be well behind him come training camp), he may have been drafted much higher.

Having Kamara backed up by Miller and Williams is a dramatic improvement over the depth chart the Saints trotted out last year, which asked a lot of a couple of past-their-prime veterans in Mark Ingram II and David Johnson. The Saints have gotten younger and more dynamic at running back. Let’s see if it pays off.

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Todd McShay rips Georgia’s Jalen Carter: ‘He’s been a lot to handle’

Todd McShay doubles down on Jalen Carter’s ‘character concerns’…

ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay has remained critical of Georgia star defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who is one of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

McShay first made headlines in December stating there were character concerns plaguing the 2022 All-American.

“With Carter, there are some character issues. Does he get along with everybody. What’s he like to deal with in the locker room, those sorts of issues” McShay said on ESPN. “I know it’s early in the process, but I’m forewarning everybody out there. Carter is going to be a hot-button name when we talk about some of the intangible aspects of it. I think Pete Carroll (and the Seattle Seahawks) at No. 2, who has a long of history taking guys with questionable character and then developing them and having them work out, that would make a lot of sense to me.”

McShay seemed to be the only voice citing such concerns. Multiple Georgia Bulldogs rushed to Carter’s side on social media defending their teammate’s character.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman did a deep dive into Carter’s character in February and published a story that outlined how the former five-star prospect bought a UGA walk-on’s meals with his own scholarship money.

Carter’s legal troubles this offseason haven’t helped his case with McShay, who doubled down on his opinion of Carter this week on an episode of ‘Pardon My Take’.

“As good as Jalen Carter was and as important as he was in these last 2 years winning national championships, I don’t think there are a lot of people in Athens that are crying that Jalen Carter’s leaving town,” McShay said. “I think he’s been a lot to handle.”

McShay has Carter going to the Chicago Bears with the No. 9 overall pick during Thursday’s first-round.

 

Todd McShay predicts Saints to pick Clemson DE Myles Murphy in final 2023 mock draft

ESPN’s Todd McShay predicted the Saints will pick Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy in his final 2023 first-round mock draft:

There’s a lot of buzz connecting the New Orleans Saints to Clemson Tigers defensive end Myles Murphy, with several prominent draft analysts projecting Murphy to end up in black and gold by the end of Thursday night’s first round.

One of those experts is ESPN’s Todd McShay, who linked the Saints to Murphy in his final mock draft. Here’s his justification for the pick at No. 29:

The Saints were last in pass rush win rate in 2022 (28.5%) and lost Marcus Davenport in free agency. Cameron Jordan had 8.5 sacks last season, but he’s turning 34 years old in July. So it’s definitely time to restock the pass rush. Murphy is a big, long force off the edge who wins with his great take-off quickness.

Murphy is an impressive prospect at 6-foot-4 and 271 pounds with long 33.7-inch arms (plus a 9.71 Relative Athletic Score), but more important than his measurables is his play on the field: he started 27 of his 38 career games at Clemson, racking up 37 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks, with 6 forced fumbles and pass breakups. He’s a reliable, starting-quality player who can continue to improve as he develops a wider array of pass-rush techniques to shed blockers and get after quarterbacks.

He’s also a better prospect than both Payton Turner and Marcus Davenport were when the Saints picked them coming out of school, arriving with less of an injury history and more proven production. With that said, he’s not perfect, and he left a lot of meat on the bone in college. He should have had a bigger impact on passing downs given his talent. Hopefully the Saints (or whichever team he ends up with) can better tap into that in the NFL.

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