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Good morning! Don’t panic-fire a coach today.
Mile Markers: Hello, Beast
There are certain mile markers for the NFL offseason, as the Super Bowl gives way to the draft. The combine, pro days and … “The Beast.” We are at the Beast marker today.
Dane Brugler’s seminal annual tome, “The Beast,” is out today. I may sound biased here since my company produces and promotes it, but this is the draft resource for the entire football industry. Turn on any show or podcast tomorrow and you’ll hear mention of it. If you could peep into coaches’ offices around the league, you’d find printed copies of it lying around.
There are detailed scouting reports for 400 players and rankings for almost 2,700 prospects over 523 pages. We have some fun insights from Dane in a bit, but I want to do a lightning round of superlatives first:
- Best overall player: Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter.
- Who’s going No. 1? Miami QB Cam Ward.
- Best athlete/biggest freak: A tie between Penn State edge Abdul Carter and Texas A&M edge Shemar Stewart.
- Fastest player in the draft: Let’s call this a tie, too, between Texas receiver Matthew Golden (4.29 40-yard dash, but 1.47 in the 10-yard) and Kentucky corner Maxwell Hairston (4.28 40, 1.51 in the 10).
OK, on to Dane, who you’ll see on a widespread press tour between now and the draft:
Dale Zanine / Imagn Images
Who’s the best prospect we’re not talking about right now?
💬 I don’t think Georgia center Jared Wilson gets enough attention. At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, he is an outstanding athlete with the football IQ and toughness to get the job done. He’s only a one-year starter, but I’ll bet we see him start pretty quickly and continue to ascend as a player. One other player who isn’t talked about enough is Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton, whose knee injury midway through the 2024 season put him on the back burner a little bit. His speed and playmaking abilities are what NFL teams are looking for — look for him to find his way into the top 100 picks.
If you had to pick today, who’s your favorite for Rookie of the Year? I’m thinking about age, possible situation, etc.
💬 This has been primarily a quarterback and wide receiver award over the past half-decade, and Cam Ward will be a strong candidate with the Titans. But this is such a strong running back class and it’s a good bet one of those guys takes the award, especially with Ashton Jeanty leading the way. The team that drafts him in the top 10 will be doing so to make him a focal point of the offense, so he will see plenty of touches and opportunities to produce. I’d also keep close tabs on the running back who lands in Denver, whether it is Omarion Hampton or another rookie. It might be a situation with multiple mouths to feed, but it’s an offense ready to produce.
What’s the best weird fact you uncovered while making this book?
💬 Before he was a top-75 prospect as a wide receiver, Ole Miss’ Tre Harris was a high school quarterback and talented basketball player. He was ready to give up football to focus on the hardcourt, but one of his wide receivers talked him into returning to the football team. That wide receiver? Malik Nabers.
Many thanks to Dane, who must be exhausted. And we saved a fun new wrinkle for last: The Beast is fully interactive this year online, and everyone can access it for free on The Athletic’s app (download on Apple or Google Play). You can also check it out online here.
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Dotel dead at 51
Former MLB reliever Octavio Dotel died in a tragic roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic, local officials confirmed. Dotel was among at least 78 others who died in the collapse, and 160 others were injured. Dotel played for 13 teams across 15 seasons in the major leagues, winning the 2011 World Series with the Cardinals. He was more than his stats, though, as Tyler Kepner wrote in a beautiful obituary.
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More news
- USWNT lost 2-1 to Brazil last night in the second of two friendlies between the teams. The Americans scored in the first minute and lost it in stoppage time. Tough.
- The Cavaliers clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time ever without LeBron James. Extremely impressive, especially with a first-year coach.
- Oppositely, the Buffalo Sabres will miss the NHL playoffs for the 14th straight year. It’s a record.
- Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells left the court on a stretcher last night after slamming his head on the court during a dunk attempt. He was diagnosed with a broken wrist.
- A judge ruled that parts of Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit against Florida coach Billy Napier can proceed. More details here.
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Wait, Now? In the NBA, another impulsive firing
For the second time in two weeks, an NBA team bound for the playoffs fired its head coach. To be clear, this is not a normal thing we see every year. Quickly:
- The Nuggets canned coach Mike Malone and general manager Calvin Booth yesterday, which came as a true shock. Malone led Denver to the NBA title just two years ago, and Denver sits as the No. 4 seed right now in the West. Just … what?
- Way, way back on Mar. 28, the Grizzlies — the No. 5 seed! — fired coach Taylor Jenkins, which was a simmering situation, apparently, but … there were nine games left in the season then. I just don’t get it.
Our writers convened for a quick, helpful roundtable to answer some of those questions. Also, check out NBA Daily reacting in real time. Lively. I like the theory that the Luka Dončić trade just broke everyone’s brains. Sigh.
Almost done:
What to Watch
📺 MLB: Yankees at Tigers
1:10 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Midday baseball is our best baseball this early in the season. Both of these teams are off to decent starts, as Detroit leads the AL Central and the Yanks have, ahem, torpedoeed their way to a 6-5 record thus far. Perfect lunch break.
📺 NBA: Nuggets at Kings
10 p.m. ET on ESPN
This was already going to be an important game before Malone’s firing yesterday. Sacramento is squarely a Play-In team. Let’s see how the Nuggets respond to turmoil.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Also on tonight: Luka Dončić’s return to Dallas (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN), which should be … feisty. We’ll have plenty more tomorrow on the game, but for now, read this definitive piece on how the Dončić trade went down — and how Mark Cuban was iced out of power.
Jayson Jenks has a fun story on the man who recorded the worst round in Masters history. I would top this number.
It’s a good time to catch up on MLB Power Rankings. The Braves are getting off the mat, one game at a time.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Meredith Gaudreau’s announcement of the birth of her and Johnny Gaudreau’s third baby, months after his untimely death.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The live blog from Arsenal’s incredible win over Real Madrid in Champions League action. Good job, Declan Rice.
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(Top photo: Andrew Wevers / Getty Images)
