Formatting the newsletters in the way I do means I don’t always get to dedicate the amount of space to the players that I want. This mini-feature will hopefully serve to fill that void. We are gonna highlight some of the young guys we have drafted onto our roster who will hopefully be the cornerstones of our future. There are other players who may play bigger roles, but these are some of my favorite storylines heading into Year 3!
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Corey “The Cutthroat” Brackett
Born in Winter Springs, Florida, Corey Brackett turned down much bigger offers in High School to stay home and play for the UCF Golden Knights. That meant it was quite a shock for him when he saw an international phone number pop up at the NFL Draft. “I couldn’t believe it,” Brackett said after the draft, “I don’t even own a Passport.”
Any misgivings he had were quickly relieved once his plane landed. Corey’s parents were both descendants of Irish Immigrants as it turned out, and Corey fell in love with tracking down his roots. “It turns out the McBracketts were a family of farmers,” Corey said with a laugh, “I was actually able to track down some distant relatives and they even came to my first game. For a kid who never left Orlando, I could never have imagined this life but damn am I grateful for it.”
Brackett rewarded the ‘Rock’s confidence by winning the starting job in OTAs. Bracket ended up recording 50 tackles, 3 TFL and 4 deflections. Paired with DB of the year Landon Collins, Brackett served as a calming presence that allowed all the guys around him to play better. Bracket wasn’t able to secure a turnover his rookie year, something he was a monster at in college, but his consistency is a large part of what let other guys like Collins and Montez Sweat shine. A strong fundamentally sound player, Brackett figures to help anchor this defense for years to come.
“Tiny” Turner O’Connell
For only being a second year player, Turner has already had a hell of a ride. Drafted as a RT in the Third Round, Turner looked like he may push for starting minutes from the second Training Camp started. Unfortunately for Turner, things didn’t work out as planned. Moses retained his starting Job and Thaddeus Craft narrowly beat him out to be the primary backup. Even when the Offensive Line was shaken up midseason, O’Connell only saw minutes on special team or in Goal Line situations as an extra blocker.
Coming into his second year, Turner was hopeful to work his way into more minutes. The Shamrocks drafting Jimmy Carpenter at 13th Overall quickly dashed those hopes. It was at this lowest moment, a point where he didn’t even know if he would make the roster, that Doug Pederson pitched a crazy idea “Tiny, you think you can catch?”
Turner had filled in as a TE on blocking downs a few times and was excited at the opportunity. The Dublin press labeled the decision as a last minute Hail Mary, but Turner quickly proved them wrong. O’Connell not only held onto his spot, he beat out Veteran Seth DeValve for the No. 2 spot behind Star TE David Njoku.
“It feels like a new lease on life man,” Turner told the press before the season, “I actually sent Coach Edsall some of my tape and he asked me why I didn’t tell him I could move like that back in college. Kind of feels like he robbed me of a Mackey.”
Whether this move will pan out in the regular season has yet to be seen, but Turner now has a whole country behind him as he tries to redefine what “skill position” players look like.
"King” Solomon Murphy
The first second round pick in Franchise history, many thought Solomon would anchor the LT spot for the Shamrocks for a decade. Born in a rough part of Philadelphia, it was a dream come true when he heard his name called on draft day. His mom was worried about him moving so far away but the first purchase Solomon ever made was buying her a new house in Dublin. That’s just the kind of guy Solomon is.
A team first guy, Solomon saw his draft stock skyrocket his senior year at Temple. Solomon once played an entire bowl game with a broken hand, something his coach understandably chided him for later, but also something you can’t help but admire. Solomon simply doesn’t know how to quit and he lacks a single selfish bone in his entire body.
He had a strong first year for the Shamrocks starting next to fellow rookie Thaddeus Craft but saw a potential replacement quickly be added to the team, in the form of Dom Kline, during the next seasons draft. Solomon managed to hold Kline off for the first eight weeks until Pederson decided to shake up the entire Offensive Line. Many were worried how Solomon would handle being shifted over to LG, but all the man did was absolutely dominate opposing defensive linemen for the rest of the season
Coming into year 3 the Shamrocks drafted yet another LT, this time in the form of First Round Pick Jimmy Carpenter. Reporters asked Pederson if the move showed a lack of faith in his current group of young linemen but he simply laughed and said, “Quite the opposite. I believe our guys are talented enough to play any position on the line. Carpenter, Murphy and Kline will be dominating defenders for Dublin for a long long time.”
Solomon has never played Center before this season but I wouldn’t count him out. The kid simply doesn’t know how to quit.
Jimmy “The Working Man” Carpenter
Despite having never suited up for the Shamrocks, Carpenter has already made quite a name for himself. Carpenter’s addition forced three different young linemen to change positions as he won the LT spot from the day he stepped foot in Dublin. A three-time All-SEC LT and 2-time All-American, Carpenter has the kind of national pedigree that most of the former Shamrocks draft picks have lacked. I suspect NFL experts will spend the next ten years questioning how in the world teams let him fall all the way to number 13.
Born in Akron, Carpenter famously spurned the Zips for a walk on spot at Alabama. Carpenter earned a scholarship from Nick Saban before the season even kicked off by winning the starting job over a whole squad of higher-tiered prospects. Carpenter brings unquestioned work ethic and that classic Akron grit to a Dublin team that cherishes those traits. He is also a big fan of Kenneth “K-Dubs” Washington and couldn’t be more excited to protect the man’s blind side.
“The man’s a super star, there’s no way around it. I always followed Akron, even after I left, and seeing K-Dubs put the program on the map was something else. Almost makes me regret turning down Coach Luke when he offered, almost,” Carpenter said with a laugh.
Carpenter has a lot of hype to live up to, but something tells me that won’t be a problem for him.
Kenneth “K-Dubs” Washington
Last, but certainly not least, is Dublin’s first ever draft pick Kenneth “K-Dubs” Washington. The Mentor, Ohio native Kenneth Washington rose to national prominence when he led Akron to a MAC title after only two years in the program. An Athlete who had few offers to play QB at the D1 level, Washington quickly made the schools that wanted him to play HB look like complete fools. A humble player, some wonder if K-Dubs quiet brand of leadership cost him Heisman votes to the much more boisterous Buck Lamb. Few players can claim they put an entire College Football Program on the map, but K-Dubs can claim just that.
Washington’s play in the pros has been a little bit more of a roller coaster. Despite winning Rookie of the Year, the Shamrocks coaching staff is reportedly a little disappointed at the speed of his development. He’s shown flashes of superstardom but has also let the Shamrocks down in some pretty big moments. Some argue the expectations are unrealistic for a guy who people knew was a raw prospect coming in, while others have argued that when a guy is drafted 5th Overall sky-high expectations are exactly what you should have.
With all the noise around him, K-Dubs is unbothered. The unassuming man simply shrugged when pressed about his thoughts and said, “I trust myself, I trust my teammates and I trust Owner Matt. That’s all the support I need.”
In two year K-Dubs has completed 67% of his passes for 6,757 Yards and 39 TDs to 34 Ints. He has also added 1,036 yards on the ground and 9 more TDs to only 2 fumbles. The hope is that he can continue having game breaking runs while becoming a more efficient passer. The Shamrocks were only one game out of the Playoffs this season and are anxious to make the next jump. When that next jump happens is almost entirely on the shoulders of the young man from Ohio.
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Thanks y’all for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I hope to see everyone on Thursday for our next stream as the Shamrocks try to make the next jump. Let’s F’in Rock!
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