Welcome to Hogmollies! A celebration of the biggest (quite literally) and best of the NFL’s most neglected superstars. Each week every sports outlet and newscaster talks about the fastest receivers, shiftiest running backs and dominant tight ends. And do NOT get me started on the incessant quarterback talk in this league. It seems like every sports media website obsesses about the position ad nauseam, to the extent that the Patriots backup quarterback, Bailey Zappe, was essentially the sole focus of my precious and limited sole blog per week. I have decided now to see the light, and turn towards the real heroes in football - the lineman, or as Dave Gettleman, my personal hero, calls them, “hog-mollies”. So here they are, the best big boy players and plays of the season so far over the offensive and defensive line. Enjoy!
Desmond Watson. Now this boy is big! He is a sophomore, 415-pound space eater at the most important position in football, nose tackle. He really is the epitome of why I created this blog. If I was a general manager in the National Football League, I would draft him first overall - how are you supposed to run on this guy! Granted, it looks like his conditioning may need work, but reports say he has excellent flexibility, which is essentially undeniable proof that the term “flexible” has become a relative one. Check out his most recent work here:
The first couple of plays you really feel like he either isn’t trying and is actually just thinking about the post-game hotdogs, or that he actually hasn’t ever played football in his life and the athletic staff were so enamored with his size and (apparent) speed they just gave him a scholarship anyway. By the end though, the man looks like a total game wrecker. If not future first overall pick - which I still maintain would be an excellent investment, future first-round pick FOR SURE. You heard it here first.
Daniel Faalele. This man is an animal. Having just recently been selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, this man is an absolute chonker. At 23-years-old he is 380 pounds and one of the thiccest left tackles in the game, with a chance to become an absolute monster run blocker. The man is also surprisingly proficient in pass protection, and can most certainly become a key member of this Ravens organization that currently does not have its right tackle of the future. The best part of Faalele is that in college the man actually DROPPED 41 pounds before the NFL Combine, having previously weighed in at over 420 pounds. Whilst playing at a demonstrably less valuable position than the coveted nose tackle, Faalele is one of the few players that could truly give Watson a run for his money. Expecting big things from this impressive specimen.
Finally, Roquan Smith. I know, I know - he is not a lineman, and this bucks the trend I was starting by bringing a far less obscure person into the limelight. I’m not convinced he is necessarily Darrelle Revis in coverage, but man can this guy hit. I was watching him in his Ravens debut against the Saints in awe, he single handedly dismantled Alvin Kamara as the Saints’ offense came skidding to a halt. He is a tank! Go on Youtube and watch a clip of all his big hits from Monday night and tell me you wouldn’t trade away your entire slate of draft picks plus Chase Claypool for someone like that. Ravens to go to the Superbowl, Lamar for MVP and this KING for Defensive Player of the Year (if Micah Parsons decides to unexpectedly retire after the Cowboys play the Packers on Sunday). Watch out world.