SI:AM | It’s Officially Draft Season

The NFL offseason is basically over.

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Are you ready for the NFL to start dominating the news cycle again?

In today’s SI:AM:

????‍♂️ What to look for at the NFL combine

????‍♂️ UFC’s next big thing

???? Why Daniel Jones is worth the money

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What to know about the NFL combine

It was a relaxing three weeks, but the NFL offseason is basically over. Draft season begins in earnest with this week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis, culminating with the draft starting on April 27 in Kansas City.

Workouts got started yesterday with defensive linemen and linebackers taking the field. Defensive backs will work out today, quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends tomorrow and running backs and offensive linemen Sunday. Here are some of the biggest stories to follow.

Jalen Carter’s arrest

Carter has, for all the wrong reasons, become the talk of the combine. Before this week, there was talk that the Georgia defensive tackle could be the No. 1 pick next month. His ability to wreak havoc on the interior is undeniable, but there are concerns about his personality and off-field decision-making. Team employees told Albert Breer that they had questions about Carter’s willingness to put in work outside game day. Then, an arrest warrant was issued for Carter in relation to a January car crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and Georgia football staffer Chandler LeCroy.

Carter faces charges in connection with racing and reckless driving from the fatal crash, which police said occurred after Carter and LeCroy were driving “​​in a manner consistent with racing.” Carter also told police conflicting stories during their investigation, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Carter traveled to Athens on Wednesday night, and was booked and released after posting bond. He then returned to Indianapolis for the combine.

The quarterbacks

If Carter isn’t selected first next month, it’ll likely be Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. While Young won’t be throwing at the combine, his time in Indianapolis will answer another important question: How big is he?

Young was listed at 6 feet tall and 194 pounds at Alabama. Quarterbacks that size are rarely in a position to go at the top of the draft. Panthers coach Frank Reich said that Young’s height “is a concern,” but also pointed out players like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have been successful NFL quarterbacks despite their below-average size.

Young, though, is plagued by dual concerns about his height and weight. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay told Albert Breer earlier this week that he heard Young was actually ​​5'10½", while Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported yesterday that people at the combine believed Young would weigh in “near” but perhaps shy of 200 pounds. By comparison, Wilson is listed at 215 pounds, Kyler Murray at 207 and Brees was listed at 209 pounds.

Hesitation over Young’s build could open the door for another quarterback to leapfrog him in the pecking order. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis—considered to be the top QB prospects after Young—are all scheduled to throw in Indy tomorrow. Richardson has rocketed up draft boards, thanks to his strong arm and athleticism (he ran for 654 yards on 103 carries last season), but he started for only one season in college.

Sprinter’s speed

Are 40-yard dash times an indicator of who will be a quality NFL player? Absolutely not. Is it fun to watch guys run really fast and speculate about what it means for their football dreams? You bet.

After the first day of workouts yesterday, there’s already a remarkable 40 time to talk about. Pitt​​ defensive tackle Calijah Kancey ran a 4.67, breaking the record for fastest 40 by a defensive tackle held by former Panther Aaron Donald (4.68 in 2014). Kancey, who was measured at 6'1", 281 pounds, also came close to breaking the record for fastest 40 by a player more than 280 pounds. Defensive end Mario Williams (6'7", 295 pounds) ran a 4.66 in ’06.

The fastest player at the combine might be Texas A&M running back Devon Achane. In addition to playing football for the Aggies, Achane was an All-American selection as a sprinter. He has the third-best time in school history in the indoor 60 meters (6.63 seconds), fourth-best in the outdoor 200 (20.20) and ninth-best in the outdoor 100 (10.14). If you’re having trouble visualizing what that kind of speed looks like, watch him zoom past Alabama on this 96-yard kickoff return from 2021 or how he hits the hole on this run against Arkansas. Achane said in December that he’s hoping to run a “4.2 something” at the combine.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Today’s Daily Cover, by Jon Wertheim, is a profile of former college wrestling legend Bo Nickal, who will make his UFC debut tomorrow night in Las Vegas.
• Albert Breer’s notes from the combine include a free-agency decision facing the Chiefs, Calvin Ridley’s NFL future and a Georgia defender that may have boosted his draft stock in yesterday’s workouts.
• Gilberto Manzano explains why it isn’t ridiculous that Daniel Jones could be worth $45 million a season.
• Bryan Danielson is probably the only pro wrestler who will compare what he does to a Cormac McCarthy novel, as he did in this interview with Justin Barrasso.
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis came up just short of tying Pete Maravich’s NCAA men’s scoring record.
• A brawl broke out during the OVC tournament game between SIU-Edwardsville and UT-Martin.

The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. Jordan Poole’s steal against Russell Westbrook.

4. Westbrook’s alley-oop to Kawhi Leonard.

3. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving’s combined 82 points in the Mavericks’ 133–126 win over the Sixers.

2. Vladimir Tarasenko’s “Forsberg” goal.

1. Minnesota’s miraculous comeback against Rutgers, capped by Jamison Battle’s game-winning three at the buzzer. The Golden Gophers, who had lost 12 in a row, were down by 10 with just over a minute to play.

SIQ

After briefly going by another name, the NFL decided on this day in 1950 to stick with the name we know today. What was the short-lived other name?

• American Football League
• National-American Football League
• National League of Football
• National Football Association

Yesterday’s SIQ: On March 2, 1993, Mario Lemieux underwent his final radiation treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Pittsburgh, then flew to Philadelphia for the Penguins’ game against the Flyers. What did Lemieux do in the game?

• Serve as assistant coach
• Play one celebratory shift
• Score a goal and assist on another
• Score a hat trick

Answer: Score a goal and assist on another. Lemieux announced Jan. 12, 1993, that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As the radiation treatments sapped his energy, Lemieux wasn’t often seen around the Penguins’ facility. But before undergoing his final treatment on the morning of March 2, he entertained the idea of playing in the Pens’ game later that night in Philadelphia.

Lemieux was supposed to take a commercial flight from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, but the plane was delayed coming in from Chicago. As the clock ticked closer to puck drop, Lemieux was getting nervous he might not make it in time, so he decided to charter his own plane. He arrived in Philly at about 4 p.m. and made his way to the arena. None of his teammates knew he was going to be playing.

​​“We had no clue he was showing up,” teammate Kevin Stevens told The Athletic in 2018. “I’ll never forget looking outside of the building. I had already gotten there. I look up, and there’s Mario walking into the building by himself, with his bag over his shoulder. First time he’s carried his own equipment since peewees, I bet.”

Even the Flyers fans cheered for Lemieux, but his participation was hardly ceremonial. Playing in his first game since Jan. 5, he scored his 40th goal of the season in the second period and then not even two minutes later assisted on a goal by Stevens.