Wide Left

Wide Left is a newsletter that explores the NFL, delves into the politics surrounding football, and discusses various topics that catch Arif Hasan's interest. With a strong foundation in politics and debate, along with more than ten years of NFL coverage experience, I aim to offer my distinct viewpoint on the sport. If you're interested in reading more, consider subscribing!

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Re-Ranking the Top Wide Receivers From the 2024 NFL Draft

1 week ago | wideleft.football | James Foster

The 2024 draft class was viewed as a historic collection of offensive talent, stacked with blue-chip prospects at offensive tackle, quarterback and wide receiver. And NFL teams confirmed this by selecting a record 23 offensive players in the first round. Six quarterbacks were picked on night one, tying the 1983 record, and five went in the top 10 for the first time in history.
How Has NIL Impacted Small Schools?

1 week ago | wideleft.football | Kevin Fielder

Money has run college athletics forever. Like any other industry, the schools with the most resources tend to succeed, while the others have had to get creative to survive. Now in its fourth year, the Name, Image, and Likeness era has undoubtedly revealed that this system, and its inequalities, are changing how schools recruit. While big schools have continued to succeed – even if it requires some adjustments in how they predominantly acquire talent – Group of 5 programs are getting left behind.
Using Guaranteed Money to Rank 2025's Top UDFAs

2 weeks ago | wideleft.football | Arif Hasan

Last year, I explored whether or not there was any value in using guaranteed money for undrafted free agents to predict the likelihood that those free agents made the 53-man roster. If you want this year’s list, click here to jump to the bottom of the piece. The theory behind using this data is that it should tell us much more about the revealed preferences of the NFL – even more than the draft does.
Norse Code Podcast Episode 559: Demolish The World (With Guest Victoria Zeller)

2 weeks ago | wideleft.football | Arif Hasan |James Pogatshnik

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -2:36:14Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Norse Code is being hosted on the Wide Left Substack. If you are already subscribed via iTunes or some other podcast reader, don’t worry! The podcast feeds will continue to be updated there as well as on the Daily Norseman. You don’t have to change anything.
Wide Left: A Change

3 weeks ago | wideleft.football | Arif Hasan

Long story short: there are changes coming to Wide Left, which will mean more content that is more neatly organized. I’m bringing on several new writers to contribute on a more regular schedule as well as people on the back end to help with story development, editing and so on. At the moment, we’re splitting the newsletter into three written content verticals: Lead Dive for NFL content, Two Gap for college- and draft-related content and Outside Zone for cultural and political commentary.
Tyler Booker 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Is Alabama OL Worth First Round Hype?

3 weeks ago | wideleft.football | Alex Katson

Tyler Booker is the perfect NFL guard. In like, 1997. Wide Left is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The 321 pound Alabama product has had one of the widest ranges on big boards this year, with some analysts placing him as high as the top ten and others landing as low as a Day 2 grade. The highs with Booker are high - pancake blocks in short areas and flashy knockouts of smaller players on screens.
Tetairoa McMillan 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Does 40 Time Matter for Arizona WR?

3 weeks ago | wideleft.football | Alex Katson

Tetairoa McMillan did not run a 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine. This made people very angry. Wide Left is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Then, McMillan was left off the list of attendees at the Big 12 conference pro day, held at the Star in Frisco, TX. People got even angrier: what was McMillan hiding? Why was he scared to run?
Alex Katson's 2025 NFL Mock Draft

3 weeks ago | wideleft.football | Alex Katson

This draft class is weird. Not bad, but weird. The quarterbacks are weaker than normal, but because the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, rumors have spun out of control about three passers going in the first round despite obvious flaws. The wide receivers are weaker than normal, including one guy whose 40 yard dash time is such a deviation from his on-field and analytical profile that there are people doing Zaprudian analysis on whether or not the NFL juiced his time.
Norse Code Podcast Episode 558: Every Team Did A Good Job

1 month ago | wideleft.football | Arif Hasan |James Pogatshnik

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:50:17Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Norse Code is being hosted on the Wide Left Substack. If you are already subscribed via iTunes or some other podcast reader, don’t worry! The podcast feeds will continue to be updated there as well as on the Daily Norseman. You don’t have to change anything.
Ranking the 2025 UDFA Classes With the Consensus Big Board

1 month ago | wideleft.football | Arif Hasan

In the days following the draft, I find my mentions light up with people referencing my work in the context of undrafted free agents, which is really neat to see. But until last year, I hadn’t really tested the big board against undrafted free agency. UDFAs can be some of the most impactful players on the team; teams really aren’t complete without a good complement of those players and — because there are so many more of them in camp — they are often large proportions of every NFL roster.