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Good morning! I think you’re a great prospect.
Prospects, on the Gridiron: Let’s watch some guys work out
Swaths of large, athletic humans are descending on Indianapolis this week, and as a fairly tall person, I can still say I have felt small walking around this lovely Midwestern town thus far. These are players auditioning for their NFL futures, whether that be moving up from a top-20 pick to a top-five pick, or getting drafted at all.
Yesterday, we talked about mysteries surrounding current NFL veterans. Today, fueled by Dane Brugler’s official NFL Scouting Combine preview, let’s talk about the most interesting prospects here this week. A few I find fascinating:
1. LSU OT Will Campbell
Campbell is maybe the fastest riser among NFL draftniks over the last few weeks, seen as a surefire Day 1 starter for any team selecting him. Yet as Dane detailed — bolstered by a few others — Campbell still has things to prove this week. Can he play inside? Most consider him a tackle, but he could shift to guard, too. Dane has Campbell No. 6 overall on his Big Board.
2. Michigan CB Will Johnson
I’m also including Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith here, as both players’ 40-yard dash times could heavily influence their draft status. For Johnson, as Dane noted, speed is the only question mark on his resume. For Smith, he could leave Indianapolis with the top 40 time, which is a reliable metric for draft risers. Run fast, a top 10 draft slot is in play.
3. William & Mary OT Charles Grant
I love these stories. Grant played at a smaller school but could attract eyes this week with his combine performance. He may have been a bigger name already if not for a late-season injury this year. Write his name down.
See Dane’s full list here. We also have a sprawling list of the top 150 NFL free agents that came out yesterday, with a certain Bengals wide receiver atop the mountain.
More from Indy tomorrow. Let’s keep going:
News to Know
Lakers, Dončić prepping for Mavs matchup
Luka Dončić is set to play against the Dallas Mavericks tonight for the first time since they traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and everyone seems to be preparing for an emotional — perhaps tense, even — backdrop. “I think he’ll be fine,” coach JJ Redick said yesterday. “Every day that he’s been with us it’s becoming a little more normal.” L.A. forward Dorian Finney-Smith, once Dončić’s teammate in Dallas, added: “Everybody in the locker room is excited. We got his back.” Hm.
More news
- Richard Jefferson will join Mike Breen and Doris Burke on ESPN’s top broadcasting team for the NBA Finals, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports.
- The Packers officially moved to ban the “tush push.” Haters? Truthtellers?
- The AP men’s college hoops Top 25 is out and Kansas isn’t there for the first time in years. See the full rankings.
- Broncos OLB coach Michael Wilhoite was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. More details here.
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Prospects, on the Diamond: Baseball guys are here, too
Bailey Orr / Texas Rangers / Getty Images
MLB spring training is also a massive proving ground for the sport’s best rookie talents. Some are ballyhooed prospects expected to assume star roles. Some are surprise talents who make the most of a non-roster invite. It’s a wonderful thing.
Let’s be brief and identify one of each, cherry-picked from Keith Law’s list:
- Rangers P Kumar Rocker — He might be the most fascinating player in spring training, simply because of his winding journey here. But there is no doubt he is a top-line talent. He should be in Texas’ rotation this year, but his spring performance will be a factor. And the Rangers should be better this year.
- Athletics SS Jacob Wilson — He is slightly unheralded, as he didn’t make Keith’s Top 100 list, but should be the A’s starter this year. Is that bad? Or a good rise? Maybe a little of both. I’m still intrigued to watch the weird A’s year in Sacramento this season, and Wilson is a big piece of that.
More big-name prospects here, including an LSU guy I omitted so I wouldn’t look like a complete homer.
Watch and Listen
📺 NCAAM: No. 2 Duke at Miami
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
It’s never a bad idea to watch Cooper Flagg play basketball, and the young savant is getting better each week. Do it.
📺 NBA: Mavericks at Lakers
10 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/Max
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but these two teams made a trade recently. I’m setting the over/under on Luka Dončić points at 36.5. As the comments out of L.A. indicated, this is going to be a must-watch.
Get tickets to games like these here.
🎧 Are the Rams really going to let Matthew Stafford move on? Dianna Russini and Chase Daniel have details. Watch here.
Pulse Picks
File under “things that are working”: Jimmy Butler in the Bay. As Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick wrote yesterday, Butler’s arrival gave the Warriors — the Warriors! — some extra swagger, as if having Steph Curry wasn’t enough. Watch out.
Looming above this MLB spring training: the coming labor fight, which could include owners pushing for a hard salary cap. Evan Drellich has a great look at what could be ahead.
We have six MLB teams poised for breakouts this year. Hello, Red Sox.
Remember when Mohamed Salah’s contract at Liverpool was in doubt? He could break the Premier League assists record this year, and that big payday is probably coming now.
Jordan Binnington was a superhero for Canada in the 4 Nations final. It might get him traded.
Also in the hockey world, celebrities in Los Angeles hosted a charity hockey game to support first responders for the L.A. wildfires. Jeremy Roenick was delighted to “get beat up” by Justin Bieber.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Shedeur Sanders’ decision to skip workouts at the combine.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The newser on the Yankees no longer playing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” after losses.
(Top photo: Scott Kinser / Imagn Images)
