Most of you know Julian Edelman. Super Bowl 53 MVP and 3 time Super Bowl champion. A do-it-all, gritty receiver who plays for the New England Patriots. He was known as Tom Brady’s favorite receiver, that is of course, until Brady left for Tampa Bay. In this short article, I will tell his underdog story, explain why he is going to have a huge year, and give you my predictions.

Julian started his football career at San Mateo high school. He was a 5’10” quarterback in high school. His main goal was to get a scholarship to college. Finally, Kent State jumped on him, and even though he was a very undersized QB they wanted the ball in his hands every single play. He even did some kick and punt returns for them. His efforts impressed many people, including 6 assistant coaches for the Patriots that came to watch him. He was still not invited to the NFL Combine in 2009. However, that motivated him to work harder than ever. He ran a 3.92 shuttle at his pro day that same year, faster than any of the times recorded at the Combine that year by 0.04 seconds. Julian finally heard his name called on draft night by the New England Patriots in the 232nd overall pick in the 7th round. He still had a lot to prove, and he needed to earn his roster spot. He did do that and impressed the coaches a vast amount.

With Tom Brady gone, and his partner Gronk going with him, I expect Julian to be more fired up than ever. I think he will have a monster season this year. If I were him I would be absolutely infuriated. And knowing Julian, I’m sure he is. Tom was his guy, pretty much his brother for 11 years straight. And then he just left for Tampa Bay along with a TE who used to be out there catching passes alongside him. Julian is angry and he has every right to be. That’s why I see him going off this year, proving more people wrong.

I think Julian will be top 5 in receptions and receiving yards this year. Last season, he finished with exactly 100 receptions for 1,117 yards and 6 TDs. This year, with the added motivation and him being a rare veteran presence on the Patriots offense, I predict his numbers go up a ton. He has been in Bill Belichick’s complicated system for many years now. Also he has shown he is a very reliable target for many years, so I expect his added targets along with his determination to fuel him to achieve these numbers. I have him at around 1,275 yards. This may seem like too big of an increase but it is not for Edelman. I have him getting in the 110-120 range for the receptions. Lastly, I think he will score 8–10 TDs.

So, those are my predictions for Edelman’s 2020 season along with a little bit about his story. Like I said before, I think Edelman will have a fantastic 

As many of you know, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have both improved a vast amount during this NBA season. These two guys went from role playing young guys to stars and all-star caliber players. In this article I would like to recognize this improvement, analyze it, and finish off with my prediction for these two players’ career. 

For his partner in crime, Jaylen Brown, he has also improved a humongous amount this season. In the 2018-19 season, he averaged 13.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. This year, he has upped his numbers to 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Some would argue this is an even bigger improvement than his counterpart, gaining over 7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. Jaylen Brown has been on fire this whole year, and has hit some pretty amazing shots to help the Celtics out.

For the in depth analysis of these two guys’ game, we can look at their PERs of this season. For Tatum, his PER is over 20 this season, coming in at 20.3. For Brown, his PER is a little lower, coming in at 17.1, still very good. This shows that they are both very efficient and effective players. The next advanced statistic is VORP, or value over replacement player. This stat measures how good the player is compared to the average of all of the NBA players. Brown’s VORP is 1.2, a very good number, meaning that he is much better than the average player. Tatum’s is a whopping 3.0, which takes 14th place in the league, better than many stars including Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. The third stat I would like to take a look at is BPM, or Box Plus/Minus, which showcases the player’s contributions while they are on the field. Tatum’s is 3.9, good for 16th in the league, and Brown’s is 0.9. This means they are both very good players compared to the average NBA player. I hope these advanced stats have helped you understand just how much they have grown. Don’t forget, these guys are 22 and 23 years old, neither one having hit their prime yet.

To finish this article, I will tell you guys my predictions for their careers. These predictions are assuming they stay on the Celtics. To start off, Jaylen Brown. I can see Jaylen being very good in his career. I do not see him winning any MVPs, but I think he may have a couple top 3 or top 5 finishes. I think he will win 2-3 championships, along with Tatum and three rest of the Celtics. In addition, if he sharpens his skills a bunch, I can see Jaylen winning 1-2 DPOY awards in the future. For Tatum, I think he can win 2-4 MVPs along with the 2-3 championship I see the Celtics getting during the Jays’ reign. I can see him also grabbing 1-2 NBA Finals MVPs. To wrap this up, I think Jaylen and Jayson can go very far in their careers, and they both have made many improvements this year. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed!