Inside the Mythical Tyjae Spears Cotton Bowl
Okay, I promise I'll stop talking about the Tulane-USC Cotton Bowl after y'all let me break it down like this.
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Have you guys heard? The Titans drafted a running back that doesn’t have an ACL? He stands on one peg leg, and actually plays in a wheelchair too. I don’t even know how he’s able to function. I even heard a guy behind the Waffle House say he can’t read, he hates puppies, and he eats pigeons.
Of course, I’m referring to former Tulane Green Wave running back Tyjae Spears, who the Titans drafted in the third round (and definitely does not eat pigeons - come on, that was just a joke, people) of this year’s draft. I can understand the frustration of wanting a wide receiver and not getting one.
What I can’t understand is how one would automatically assume this is an “injured running back” if one actually watched Spears play football in 2022. I know what you’re thinking, “well Stoney, that’s because people actually didn’t watch Spears play football in 2022.” I’m being smarmy, but really, I could go 2,000 words on this phenomenon alone and that’s not what we’re here to do today.
We’re here to talk about a game that I have been telling people to watch all draft season. Except now, you don’t even have to go seek it out for yourself. I’m going to break it down for you within the context of why I was so impressed by it right here on Stacking The Inbox. I first started studying Spears after seeing that he was on the roster for the 2023 Senior Bowl. Figuring that the Titans could use a complementary back with RB1 upside, I circled his name as a guy that I would target if I were in a position to choose players for the Titans.
Call it love at first sight, if you will, because I’ve loved Spears from the moment I saw him. In fact, I ended up watching 23 running backs this year, and I finished my 2023 big board with Spears firmly placed at RB3. The only backs I liked better were Bijan Robinson (duh) and Zach Charbonnet. Spears was also my 49th overall player. Yeah…I loved him. To quote Buddy The Elf, “dad, I’m in love. I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it.” Let’s revisit my evaluation of Spears so that you guys can get a clearer picture of what I liked about him before I dive into his Cotton Bowl performance: