baker mayfield sam darnold lamar jackson

BAKER MAYFIELD | SAM DARNOLD | LAMAR JACKSON | JOSH ALLEN | JOSH ROSEN

1 FOR THE AGES?An electrifying combine performance convinced some that Penn State’s Saquon Barkley will be the first running back taken at the top of the NFL Draft in over 20 years. The last man to achieve that feat was fellow Nittany Lion Ki-Jana Carter, who was beset with injuries from the moment he tore a knee ligament with his third preseason carry and managed just 1,144 career rushing yards. No pressure Cleveland….

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U K G R I D I R O N G R I D I R O N U K G R I D I R O N

U K G R I D I R O N G R I D I R O N U K G R I D I R O N

www.gridiron-magazine.com

22 BIG BOARD Gridiron breaks down our top 50 players in the

forthcoming draft

28 LION FROM PENNSYLVANIA Saquon Barkley’s journey from the Bronx to the

NFL, via Pennsylvania

50 PASSER PARADISE Mike Carlson reveals the greatest quarterback drafts

in NFL history

60 AWAITING THE MOCKING Our experts put their reputations on the line by

predicting round one

CONTENTS

MR INCREDIBLEHow Shaquem Griffin overcame all odds to reach the professional ranks

54

34 BAKER MAYFIELD

44 JOSH ROSEN

48 JOSH ALLEN

46 LAMAR JACKSON

42 SAM DARNOLD

GRIDIRON 54 GRIDIRON

mailto:[email protected]

Cleveland sporting icons LeBron James and Joe Thomas hug as the latter is honoured by the Cavaliers following his decision to retire from the NFL. The left tackle, a lock first-ballot Hall of Famer, called time on his 11-year career, having seen his league-record consecutive snaps streak (10,363) ended by the torn bicep that prematurely brought down the curtain on his final campaign. Thomas was a 10-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro.

MOMENT OFTHE MONTH

6 GRIDIRON GRIDIRON 7

LACES OUT OUT

Editor Matthew Sherry discusses the forthcoming NFL Draft and some exciting developments at Gridiron Towers.

I n a couple of weeks’ time, Roger Goodell will walk on a stage in Dallas to the predictable reception:

boos, lots of them. In fact, following the Ezekiel Elliott saga and public feud with former BFF Jerry Jones, the reaction could be even more vociferous than usual.

The predictability of this is perhaps the most unfitting beginning to an event in sport, for it is the prelude to as unpredictable a night as there is in the calendar. A night that can change course with one unexpected move, or go entirely as expected. Or maybe a combination of both. In essence, it’s like an elongated sports match, without the sports. Perhaps that explains why hundreds of thousands of people will descend on the Lone Star State to ‘watch’ it.

It’s an event that is defined, really, by two words: obfuscation and observation. Obfuscation because of the political-like spin that hangs as a shadow over the entire build-up, of Team X loving Player A etc; and observation because, simply, that’s what the whole thing is really about: observing a bunch of players and determining if they can thrive at the next level for your team.

Which brings us to the factor that makes the whole thing so bloody unmissable: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A trait loved by one GM may be loathed by another, and decisions based on that trait can ruin 12 months’ planning for all of the teams. Imagine, for example,

the Cleveland Browns deciding that Lamar Jackson is the quarterback needed to arrest their two-decade slide to misery. And imagine, just for one second, they select him first overall. Given the previously noted obfuscation, can we really rule it out?

The fact we cannot is why millions tune in to watch an unpopular man walk backwards and forwards, to and from a stage, to read names off a card. And that is the reason why I’m writing this little introduction to our NFL Draft Special edition, in which we attempt to sift through the rubble of mistruths to prepare you for what is comfortably the most fascinating event I’ve ever covered, including the Super Bowl.

Enjoy what we’ve put together; this edition probably has more work put into it than any other given the extensive film study undertaken by our lead writer/draft-nik Simon Clancy, and we think this preview stands up with any you’ll find on either side of the pond.

But, as you read, remember – for all the work put in – we have no clue what will happen in Dallas. Heck, even the participants don’t! There are only two things you can predict at the NFL Draft: Roger Goodell being booed and unpredictability.

SEE YOU IN JULY!And so we sign off our fourth season of Gridiron and, as I’ve said every year, I think we are completing the best yet. The growth we’ve enjoyed has been truly remarkable and I couldn’t be prouder that this little

idea has grown into such a thriving entity; for that, I’m eternally grateful to you, our loyal readers, and the fantastic companies we’ve partnered up with in recent years.

But this is not goodbye; far from it. In July, we’ll return to the newsstands to deliver our second Annual Bookazine, the 136-page

epic where I claim a backseat and allow Neil Reynolds to undertake the editing reins. Please pick that up (all subscribers can secure a significant discount by using the coupon code ‘gridironsubsoffer2018’ and purchasing at gridiron-magazine.com from their login).

And that’s not all.

We’ll be returning next season with the usual eight editions, featuring more exclusive words sourced through our team’s various trips across the pond. Furthermore, we look forward to launching a brand-new, all-singing, all-dancing website featuring a host of additional content and our Members’ Area.

The latter will play host to special offers from Gridiron and partners, plus an array of freebies and giveaways, so keep an eye out for that just ahead of the 2018 campaign kicking off. We look forward to giving each and every one of you more bang for your buck!

Until next time…

GOOD ‘ELL, WHAT A NIGHT…


AROUND THE LEAGUE THE IMPORTANT,

IRRELEVANT & IRREVERENT IN NFL LAND

CATCH 88 After years of debate, it appears that we might be about to get a simplified ‘catch rule’ in the NFL. Prompted by (but unable to retrospectively affect) the unsatisfactory ruling on Dez Bryant’s ‘non-catch’ in the 2014 Cowboys-Packers playoff game, among others, the league’s Competition Committee worked to rewrite the letter of the law ahead of the annual team owners’ meeting, taking away the element of ‘going to the ground’ and requiring the receiver to fulfil three (apparently) simple criteria: control of the ball, having two feet (or another body part) down and making a football move (such as taking a third step or reaching for the line of gain). The proposal also suggests that more ‘calls on the field’ be allowed to stand, putting the decision back into the hands of the referees and not 345 Park Avenue, New York.

HERE’S JOHNNY An intriguing – and divisive – name has popped up throughout free agency as Johnny Manziel attempts to resurrect his pro career after flaming out spectacularly in his brief stint with the Browns. Having apparently conquered his demons, ‘Johnny Football’ is embarking on a self-titled ‘ComebackSZN’ but, instead of assuming the NFL will come calling, is doing so via the two-week Texas-based Spring League and throwing for young receivers at various post-combine pro days. He remains on the ‘negotiation list’ of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but is clearly hoping to convince NFL owners that he is now ‘money’ in the right sense of the word.

PAT ON THE MAT Not content with enjoying his NFL retirement as a stand-up comedian and podcast jock, Pat McAfee has decided to take his wide-ranging talents to wrestling. The former Colts punter proudly tweeted out that he had signed a contract with the WWE – which shares a common owner with the recently-resurrected XFL – but, as yet, his role will be restricted to talking the talk rather than walking the walk. That, however, hasn’t stopped him from firing up a feud with pro star Adam Cole, which looks like it may have legs… Wonder if McAfee will adopt the ring name ‘AntiVirus’?

FREE (AGENTS) FALLIN’

The NFL’s annual rummage sale has been in full swing for several weeks already, with big names on the move even before the ‘legal tampering period’ began. While some key pieces, such as Saints QB Drew Brees, opted to stay put, and others, including Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence and Steelers all-purpose RB Le’Veon Bell, were going nowhere thanks to judicious use of the franchise tag, there have been plenty of high-profile changes of scenery. Here is a selection of some of the biggest:

NAME POSITION FROM TO

Kirk Cousins QB

Ndamukong Suh DT

Allen Robinson WR

Tyrann Mathieu S

Sheldon Richardson DT

Sammy Watkins WR

Andrew Norwell G

Case Keenum QB

Malcolm Butler CB

Trumaine Johnson CB

Teddy Bridgewater QB

Sam Bradford QB

Nate Solder OT

Dontari Poe DT

Vinny Curry DL

Richard Sherman CB

Carlos Hyde RB

Jimmy Graham TE

Morgan Burnett S

Dion Lewis RB

ROGUE TRADERS

Although the majority of player moves have come under the cover of free agency, others have been orchestrated by their teams, either looking to upgrade their rosters, draft position or offload ‘hard to handle’ individuals. Many, like those involving Alex Smith and Marcus Peters, were in place before the new league year started on 15 March, but the bartering is expected to continue right up to draft day…

NAME POSITION FROM TO

Alex Smith QB

Kendall Fuller CB

Marcus Peters CB

Robert Quinn DE

Michael Bennett DE

Marcus Johnson WR

Alec Ogletree LB

Aqib Talib CB

Jarvis Landry WR

Tyrod Taylor QB

Danny Shelton DT

Cordy Glenn LT

Trevor Siemian QB

Jason McCourty CB

Jason Pierre-Paul DE

Cody Kessler QB

Brandin Cooks WR


ON THE POD

London-born running back returns to the UK a Super Bowl winner and his name just gets longer.

What a year it’s been for Jay Ajayi.Heading into last season as the

Miami Dolphins’ No. 1 back, then rumours of it all going sour, a toxic locker room, the team failing to show up in London and, of course, a stunning deadline-day trade to the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles. Once in Philly, his QB goes down, the Eagles are underdogs throughout the playoffs, but then beat Brady, Belichick and Co. in SBLII. Drawn breath yet? We barely have.

Luckily, The Gridiron Show had the chance to sit down with Jay at the NFL UK offices in March (well, Will did... Olly, of course, didn’t get the email), and started by asking him how exciting it will be, in October, when he’s announced to the Wembley crowd as ‘Jay Ajayi, Super Bowl champion’.

Jay Ajayi: It’s going to be super crazy. It’s something no-one can take away from me when I’m gone – I’ll always be a Super Bowl champion

RETURNS TO LONDON!

and it’s a blessing in itself for them to add that to my name and having done that in only my third year. It’s a great fulfilment.

TGS: So now it’s going to say ‘London-born Jay Ajayi, Super Bowl Champion’...

JA: That’s a long title but, hey, I want to add more to it too! It’s definitely motivating to keep continuing to achieve things in my career and work hard for the team.

TGS: Where did the Union Jack come from? [Jay pictured with the flag on the field after the SBLII triumph]

JA: Man, the crazy UK fans that snuck onto the field after the Super Bowl. I don’t know how they got it out there but they got it to me and I was proud to have it around [me].

TGS: When you spoke afterwards, you talked about British heritage and that the win meant more because you felt like you knew where you came from. Has that rung true since, coming back here as a champion for the first time?

JA: It’s definitely a different feeling to leave one way and come back better. To have left after the Dolphins game, where we didn’t really show up, and to come back now as a Super Bowl champion with a different team, it’s crazy. It’s a blessing. I’m so fortunate, as some guys don’t have the story or a Super Bowl championship and have played in league for how many years? For me to have been traded in the perfect situation, I’m grateful it all worked out for me.

TGS: When do you get the ring? That’s the main thing!

JA: I’m waiting on it, man. I ain’t gonna lie! I think, in a couple of months, we’re going to have a big reveal party. I’ve only seen other teams do it, so we’re going to have our own big celebration. I can’t wait!

TGS: What was it like going into the game as the underdogs, having played at home twice as the underdog [in the

playoffs] and being able to take that and win the whole thing?

JA: It didn’t really matter to us that the outside world had us as the underdogs. Obviously, it was disappointing – and definitely a motivating factor. For sure, it was like, ‘They’re disrespecting us in our own home, with the craziest fans in the world, with our team that can line up with anyone and they’re still disrespecting us’. So that was a motivating factor for us. But, at the end of the day, we believed in who we had, and it was just about us showing up and executing, playing our way and going out there and being dogs! That was who we were, we became the dogs.

TGS: There are a couple of guys on your team – Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long – that are socially active,

but you’ve got this unique situation of being born here but grew up and studied in America. Do you think you’ll go to the White House if invited?

JA: I haven’t thought about that decision yet, but it’s definitely been a blessing being part of a team with guys that are socially active and using their platform to bring awareness to inequalities and injustices in our society and communities. We are football players and athletes and that is our job, but we also have a platform and people look at us as role models. So, with those guys that showcase that much and use that platform as they do, I just think they are awesome. It showed the kind of men they were, it helped the locker room and they’re great players on the field too.

TGS: Have you had the conversation

with the team about your role going forward next year, and if the Eagles are going to keep you long-term? This is your contract year and, for running backs, it’s all about that second contract and making sure you make as much from it.

JA: We’ll see what ends up happening with the Eagles. I know my guy LG [Legarrette Blount] just went to the Lions. For me, it’s about getting myself ready, prepared to do whatever it takes to win and be ‘the guy’. I’ll be ready, be the Jay Train and do whatever I can. We’ll see where the chips fall. All you can do is play. For the rest of the interview, where Jay talks about the mentality of the team during SBLII, his trade to the Eagles and if the Dolphins locker room was toxic, go to TGS 207.

LBJASBC

The Jay Train rolled back into Londonwith some extra bling in his collection...

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The Los Angeles Rams have sent shockwaves through the NFL with a series of aggressive offseason moves, but will it bring success?

S uper Bowl 52 included just a single punt and saw the Philadelphia Eagles and New England

Patriots rack up an NFL-record 1,151 yards of total offense.

And yet we cannot shake this belief that defense wins championships.

That’s why Los Angeles Rams fans are already dreaming of a trip to Atlanta to play in next season’s edition. Emerging from a tough and competitive NFC is not going to be easy, but a case can certainly be made for Sean McVay’s men going further than their first-round playoff exit of last term.

The widely held belief is that McVay’s offense is going to be able to score points yet again. Jared Goff should continue his development at quarterback and Todd Gurley is firmly established as one of the greatest all-around backs in the game today, capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.

But it is on defense where Los Angeles have really captured our attention during this offseason. And while McVay is the main motivator and general manager Les Snead the official roster builder, these moves have defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ fingerprints all over them.

Phillips is a guru and has been a coach worthy of that title for some time now. But the genius of his schemes is often in their simplicity. He likes to scare the living daylights

out of the quarterback with a strong pass rush and have corners on the back end who can survive on an island. Now, the pieces are in place.

Phillips will ask his cornerbacks to play a lot of aggressive, press-man coverage. To do that effectively snap after snap, you need to marry talent with cockiness and bravado. In rolling the dice – and there is no doubt that any move for a big name deemed surplus to requirements elsewhere can be seen as a roll of the dice – on some big-name defenders in this offseason, Phillips has moved closer to building ‘his’ kind of defense.

You can’t keep and pay them all, of course, so the Rams had to offload a pair of big names of their own in defensive end Robert Quinn and linebacker Alec Ogletree. But the signing of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh instantly forms the most devastating interior pass rush in the NFL. The thought of a motivated Suh alongside the often-unblockable Aaron Donald must already be scaring the living daylights out of the Rams’ opponents for 2018.

And I think Suh will be motivated. He is a shrewd businessman who also wants to win. And by signing just a one-year ‘prove-it’ deal with the Rams, he can achieve on-field success – something he has lacked for much of his career – and set himself up for one final big payday in the process.

The cornerback pairing of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib is going to be

REYNOLDS’ RHETORIC

fascinating to watch. Peters is a ball-hawk who emphatically wore out his welcome in Kansas City, while Talib remains a Pro Bowl talent who has also endured his fair share of trouble on and off the field.

Seeing the Rams take a chance on this high-risk pair is intriguing when you consider they were forced to jettison a high-character team leader in Ogletree in order to facilitate such deals. So now locker-room dynamics

are going to be huge in Los Angeles.So what kind of locker-room

leaders are Peters and Talib going to turn out to be? Even Suh was labelled a me-first player in Miami – a guy who preferred to train on his own during the offseason. I personally think Suh plays lights out on every snap, but that was the perception of him in South Florida.

By bringing the likes of Peters and Talib into their locker room, I

think it is vital that the Rams have greybeard offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan back to lead the way in 2018. They can provide veteran leadership and make sure that McVay’s positive messages get heard by the entire team.

Don’t get me wrong; I like the moves the Rams have made. With Suh and Donald terrorising quarterbacks into early and ill-timed throws, Peters and Talib will pounce

on the back end. And coaching should be about learning how to manage strong characters and finding a way to work with extremely talented players who you might not necessarily want to take home to meet your mother.

McVay and Phillips have backed themselves to get the best out of Suh, Peters and Talib in 2018 – and I think the Rams will be a much-improved team because of their arrivals.

Los Angeles are Ramming their way into Super Bowl contention


For regular coverage from Neil, head to The Reynolds Report! gridiron-magazine.com/the-reynolds-report

REYNOLDS’ RAVES I was glad to see Kirk Cousins

make good on a Super Bowl week promise that his free-agency team of choice would be “about winning”. Cousins certainly got a good deal with his three fully guaranteed years amounting to $84 million, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. But his choice of team does give him a chance to win and compete for the Super Bowl. The Vikings organisation is full of good people and they just added another one in Kirk.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were not far away when it came to chasing their own Super Bowl dream in 2017 and I feel they have become even stronger after free agency. The loss of wide receiver Allen Robinson stings a little but he was not around much last year anyway after suffering a season-ending injury on opening weekend. All-Pro Andrew Norwell instantly addresses an area of weakness at guard and receiver Donte Moncrief and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins will help Blake Bortles in the passing game.

I like to see NFL teams put talent around their quarterbacks, especially those clubs who have parted with considerable draft collateral to go up and get young passers. The Rams got considerable production from Goff in his second year and Carson Wentz was surrounded with playmakers in Philadelphia. The Chicago Bears are now trying to help out Mitchell Trubisky in the same way and that is wise. The second-year signal-caller will be better off with Robinson and Taylor Gabriel at receiver and Trey Burton at tight end.

REYNOLDS’ RANTS The Miami Dolphins have lost a

great deal of talent in this offseason, most notably in the form of Pro Bowlers Jarvis Landry, Mike Pouncey and Ndamukong Suh. I’m not sure what the plan is in Miami. Sure, this was a team in salary-cap hell and you can make an argument that each was purely a financial decision – but I’m not buying that. All three of those guys are strong and occasionally outspoken alpha males in the locker room. By offloading that trio – along with running back Jay Ajayi last season – I feel Adam Gase is taking the easy way out. He clearly wants ‘his guys’ in South Florida. But how long will Gase be around to coach them?

It was hard to definitively tell what was going on in the seven-second video that captured Odell Beckham Jr. lying on a bed with some less-than-reputable characters. Whatever we saw or didn’t see when ‘that’ clip went viral, here we are again talking about some off-the-field incident with OBJ. It must drive the New York Giants mad. What is most frustrating is that this is a good kid at heart. But he cannot stop surrounding himself with the wrong people.

It has been a rough few months in Seattle as the Seahawks moved on from veteran defensive talent in Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman. The Seahawks also lost Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson in free agency and I’m not sure the winds of change have stopped blowing just yet. Can Pete Carroll and John Schneider build another team capable of a mini-dynasty? It promises to be fascinating viewing finding out!

FINAL THOUGHTI am not about to be fooled into thinking the New England Patriots are a spent force. I saw how hard they fought against the Eagles in the Super Bowl and, as long as they have Bill Belichick at head coach and Tom Brady at quarterback, they are title contenders. But there is no doubt this is one of the most challenging offseasons of Belichick’s reign. Nate Solder, Danny Amendola, Dion Lewis, Malcolm Butler and Brandin Cooks have departed, we still don’t know the future of Rob Gronkowski and Matt Patricia is no longer around as defensive coordinator. Add in the reports of conflict behind the scenes and it is going to be fascinating to see how Belichick steers this particular boat through some choppy waters.

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16 GRIDIRON

18 GRIDIRON

C L E V E L A N D B R O W N S

QB CB OT S S A N F R A N C I S C O 4 9 E R S

DE G CB WR L O S A N G E L E S C H A R G E R S

OT ILB QB DL T E N N E S S E E T I T A N S

DE ILB WR DL

N E W Y O R K G I A N T S

QB OL RB DE O A K L A N D R A I D E R S

LB CB S OT S E A T T L E S E A H A W K S

OL CB DL TE A T L A N T A F A L C O N S

DT TE WR DE

I N D I A N A P O L I S C O L T S

DE LB OL WR M I A M I D O L P H I N S

DL LB QB TE D A L L A S C O W B O Y S

WR DT LB G N E W O R L E A N S S A I N T S

OL TE WR QB

H O U S T O N T E X A N S

OT TE CB S C I N C I N N A T I B E N G A L S

OL LB DT CB D E T R O I T L I O N S

DE TE RB G P I T T S B U R G H S T E E L E R S

ILB WR S RB

D E N V E R B R O N C O S

CB OLB OL TE W A S H I N G T O N

DL LB CB QB B U F F A L O B I L L S

QB OL WR S J A C K S O N V I L L E J A G U A R S

LB OT WR QB

N E W Y O R K J E T S

QB DE G OT G R E E N B A Y P A C K E R S

CB OT WR OLB K A N S A S C I T Y C H I E F S

DB DL OLB OL M I N N E S O T A V I K I N G S

OL CB S TE

T A M P A B A Y B U C C A N E E R S

RB CB DL S A R I Z O N A C A R D I N A L S

QB OL WR CB L O S A N G E L E S R A M S

ILB OL DE TE N E W E N G L A N D P A T R I O T S

OT LB QB TE

C H I C A G O B E A R S

CB OL OLB DL B A L T I M O R E R A V E N S

WR TE ILB OL C A R O L I N A P A N T H E R S

WR CB DE OL P H I L A D E L P H I A E A G L E S

CB WR TE LB

TEAM NEEDS THE NFL DRAFT REPRESENTS THE FINAL PIECE IN THE OFFSEASON TEAM-BUILDING JIGSAW. GRIDIRON BREAKS DOWN ALL 32 TEAMS' BIGGEST

NEEDS AHEAD OF THE THREE-DAY PLAYER GRAB IN DALLAS.


GRIDIRON DRAFT GURU SIMON CLANCY REVEALS HIS TOP 50 PLAYERS IN THIS YEAR’S CLASS…

9.VITA

VEADT, WASHINGTON

10.JOSH

ROSENQB, UCLA

11.ROQUAN

SMITHLB, GEORGIA

12.SONY

MICHELRB, GEORGIA

13.MAURICE

HURSTDT, MICHIGAN

14.ISAIAH

WYNNOT/G, GEORGIA

15.DENZEL

WARDCB, OHIO STATE

16.HAROLD

LANDRYDE, BOSTON COLLEGE

17.DA’RON

PAYNEDT, ALABAMA

18.JAIRE

ALEXANDERCB, LOUISVILLE

19.JESSIE

BATESFS, WAKE FOREST

20.CALVIN

RIDLEYWR, ALABAMA

21.MIKE

MCGLINCHEYOT, NOTRE DAME

22.MIKE

HUGHESCB, UCF

23.CHRISTIAN

KIRKWR, TEXAS A&M

24.RASHAAN

EVANSLB, ALABAMA

25.DERRIUS

GUICERB, LSU

26.LAMAR

JACKSONQB, LOUISVILLE

27.WILL

HERNANDEZG, UTEP

28.JOSH

ALLENQB, WYOMING

29.MARCUS

DAVENPORTDE, UTSA

30.TAVEN

BRYANDT, FLORIDA

31.ISAIAH

OLIVERCB, COLORADO

32.COURTLAND

SUTTONWR, SMU

33.RONNIE

HARRISONS, ALABAMA

34.D.J.

MOOREWR, MARYLAND

35.JOSH

JACKSONCB, IOWA

36.JAMARCO

JONESOT, OHIO STATE

37.JUSTIN

REIDS, STANFORD

38.CONNOR

WILLIAMSOT, TEXAS

39.M.J.

STEWARTCB/S, NORTH CAROLINA

40.LEIGHTON

VANDER ESCHLB, BOISE STATE

41.FRANK

RAGNOWC, ARKANSAS

42.ANTHONY

MILLERWR, MEMPHIS

43.RASHAAD

PENNYRB, SAN DIEGO STATE

44.ARDEN

KEYDE, LSU

45.MARK

ANDREWSTE, OKLAHOMA

46.NATHAN

SHEPHERDDT, FORT HAYS STATE

47.CARLTON

DAVISCB, AUBURN

48.RONALD

JONES IIIRB, USC

49.SAM

HUBBARDDE, OHIO STATE

50.AUSTIN

CORBETTG, NEVADA

8765

4321SAQUON

BARKLEYRB, PENN STATE

QUENTON NELSON

G, NOTRE DAME

BAKER MAYFIELD

QB, OKLAHOMA

BRADLEY CHUBB

DE, NC STATE

MINKAHFITZPATRICK

DB, ALABAMA

TREMAINE EDMUNDS

LB, VIRGINIA TECH

SAM DARNOLD

QB, USC

DERWIN JAMESS, FLORIDA STATE


This is generally a strong offensive draft: there’s real talent, albeit with some question marks, at the quarterback position. The real depth comes at running back, with tight end not far behind. It’s not a stellar group of receivers, but there’s some system gems in there, while the continued evolution of college offenses means there are some talent issues on the OL, although guard has some terrific players.

OVERALL PICTURE

POSITION-BY-POSITIONOFFENSE

Each prospect has some issues that would make you nervous, but it’s still a strong group with something for everyone. Mayfield may be undersized but he is incredibly accurate and a winner. Although Darnold didn’t separate from the field like his sophomore tape indicated, he is still really good and will probably be the first player taken. Rosen is technically the best of the bunch and perhaps the most NFL-ready. Jackson is explosive and ran a complex NFL offense under Bobby Petrino, while Allen has huge upside and a monster arm – but could be Dan Marino or Dan Orlovoky. Look out for Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta and Washington State’s Luke Falk.

QUARTERBACK1. BAKER MAYFIELD, Oklahoma2. SAM DARNOLD, USC3. JOSH ROSEN, UCLA4. LAMAR JACKSON, Louisville5. JOSH ALLEN, Wyoming

Another stellar group led by the outstanding Barkley. Michel is wonderful to watch and has elements of Alvin Kamara and Ricky Williams in his game. Guice will punish you carry after carry, while Penny could be a two-down monster. Jones will remind you of Melvin Gordon. It’s an extremely deep class with Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson, Tennessee’s John Kelly, Michel’s running mate at Georgia, Nick Chubb, and Iowa’s Akrum Wadley offering solid day two and three value.

RUNNING BACK1. SAQUON BARKLEY, Penn State2. SONY MICHEL, Georgia3. DERRIUS GUICE, LSU4. RASHAAD PENNY, San Diego State5. RONALD JONES III, USC

Ridley lacks elite size but is super smooth and consistently gets open. Kirk is a brilliant slot guy with outstanding return skills. Sutton has Julio Jones-type physical presence and runs a 4.5, while Moore and Miller are tough, versatile and always open. Again, there’s great depth here beyond the top guys with Iowa’s Allen Lazard offering strong third-day value and Clemson’s Deon Cain, Texas Tech’s Keke Coutee and Notre Dame’s wonderfully named Equanimeous St. Brown all likely to produce.

WIDE RECEIVER1. CALVIN RIDLEY, Alabama2. CHRISTIAN KIRK, Texas A&M3. COURTLAND SUTTON, SMU4. D.J. MOORE, Maryland 5. ANTHONY MILLER, Memphis

This is another really strong group. Andrews may have been the best TE in America the last three seasons while Thomas is raw but quick and has big upside. Gesicki is your perfect seam splitter and, while an atrocious blocker, the perfect move tight end. Hurst is underrated and can do it all, although he’s older than teams would like, while Goedert dominated at the small-school level. Behind them, look out for blocking specialist Will Dissly of Washington and Mr Everything, Jaylen Samuels, of NC State.

TIGHT END1. MARK ANDREWS, Oklahoma 2. IAN THOMAS, Indiana3. MIKE GESICKI, Penn State4. HAYDEN HURST, South Carolina 5. DALLAS GOEDERT, South Dakota State

There’s a lack of stardust at the position, attributable to spread offences in college. Wynn may well be a guard in the NFL, but he was the best LT in America last season in the toughest conference. His only issue is that he’s 6ft 2ins and not 6ft 5ins. McGlinchey is battle tested on both sides and reminds us of Jack Conklin while Jones flashed big-time ability on an island for the Buckeyes. Williams struggled coming back from injury but can lock down a LT spot for a decade if 100%. Crosby is probably a RT. Look out for Pitt’s Brian O’Neil, TCU’s Joseph Noteboom and Stanford’s David Bright.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE1. ISAIAH WYNN, Georgia2. MIKE MCGLINCHEY, Notre Dame3. JAMARCO JONES, Ohio State4. CONNOR WILLIAMS, Texas5. TYRELL CROSBY, Oregon

Nelson is as good at it gets at the position. A physical freak, he has the talent to be an All-Pro many times over. Hernandez is a bull, Corbett a late-rising technician who should go on day two and Smith is a road-grader who played really well against some terrific SEC interior linemen. Welsh is a system fit for an inside-zone team as he does the little things well. Arizona State’s Sam Jones and Idaho State’s Skyler Phillips have merit.

GUARD1. QUENTON NELSON, Notre Dame2. WILL HERNANDEZ, UTEP3. AUSTIN CORBETT, Nevada4. BRADEN SMITH, Auburn5. SEAN WELSH, Iowa

This is an interesting group headed by Ragnow, who’s coming off a serious injury but looks the cream of the class on film. Aware, tough and technically sound, he could be an immediate starter anywhere on the interior if healthy. Daniels looks the part, is great to the second level but flatters to deceive once there. Price tore a pectoral muscle at the combine and isn’t as good as Pat Elflein. Clapp looks like a solid 10-year starter and Allen is an underrated technician. Alabama’s Bradley Bozema and UCLA’s Scott Quessenberry are interesting day three guys.

CENTRE1. FRANK RAGNOW, Arkansas 2. JAMES DANIELS, Iowa 3. BILLY PRICE, Ohio State 4. WILL CLAPP, LSU5. BRIAN ALLEN, Michigan State


Position-by-position it’s a great class. Defensive end perhaps is lacking in quality depth, but cornerback is the strength of the draft, where there is a superb group to sit alongside some fine safeties. If you’re looking for plug-and-play linebackers and defensive tackles then you’ve come to the right draft.

OVERALL PICTURE

POSITION-BY-POSITIONDEFENSE

Chubb should be a top-five pick. He can convert speed to power, get around the edge and is a consistent threat. Landry is a pure sack guy who has elite get-off. He could have an Aldon Smith-like impact, but is a liability against the run. Davenport was dominant at the small-school level and didn’t look out of place after a slow start in Mobile. Key has off-field concerns but talent and Hubbard lacks athleticism, yet is solid in all phases. Kansas’ Dorance Armstrong, Ohio State’s Tyquan Lewis and Rutgers’ Kemoko Turay all have value as later-round value picks.

EDGE1. BRADLEY CHUBB, NC State 2. HAROLD LANDRY, Boston College3. MARCUS DAVENPORT, UTSA4. ARDEN KEY, LSU5. SAM HUBBARD, Ohio State

Vea is a physical phenomenon, a Planet Theory-type player who can take over games. Will need to stay in shape so as to avoid becoming Tyson Alualu. Payne flashes an Ndamukong Suh-type skillset, while Hurst could have an Aaron Donald-type impact on the league if healthy. Bryan is an under-the-radar guy who really fits in a scheme such as the one in Dallas, and Shepherd is raw but with a monster upside. Virginia Tech’s Tim Settle, FSU’s Derrick Nnadi and Stanford’s Harrison Phillips all have real NFL value. Look out for Sam Houston State’s P.J. Hall – who had a 38in vertical and ran a 4.76sec forty at 308lbs!

DEFENSIVE TACKLE1. Vita Vea, Washington 2. Maurice Hurst, Michigan3. Da’Ron Payne, Alabama 4. Taven Bryan, Florida 5. Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State

This is a terrific group. Edmunds, son of former Dolphins tight end Ferrell Edmunds, is only 19 but has All-World potential. He can tackle, cover and rush, all at 6ft 5ins, 253lbs. Smith is undersized but polished and didn’t miss a single tackle in 2017. He’s the modern-day speed/size off-ball linebacker. Evans could be the best Alabama linebacker of the last five years. Vander Esch lacks elite speed but is instinctive and can tackle, while Griffin is just a pure football player. BYU’s Fred Warner and Iowa’s Josey Jewell are very different talents but both could feature early.

LINEBACKER1. TREMAINE EDMUNDS, Virginia Tech 2. ROQUAN SMITH, Georgia3. RASHAAN EVANS, Alabama4. LEIGHTON VANDER ESCH, Boise State 5. SHAQUEM GRIFFIN, Central Florida

This is a tremendous group. Ward is undersized but has elite footwork and is really feisty. With nickel becoming base defense around the league, his ability to play inside or out is hugely attractive. Alexander was injured for much of 2017 but can really play. Hughes is tough, will hit you in the mouth and plays tight man coverage. Oliver is a big, long press corner with talent, while Jackson has the skillset and instincts to fit certain schemes, but only a year of experience. You’ll get outstanding value in rounds two and three with guys like Carlton Davis, Micah Hyde-clone M.J. Stewart, zone standout Anthony Averett and, later on day three, Texas bad boy Holton Hill.

CORNERBACK1. DENZEL WARD, Ohio State2. JAIRE ALEXANDER, Louisville 3. MIKE HUGHES, UCF4. ISAIAH OLIVER, Colorado5. JOSH JACKSON, Iowa

Fitzpatrick and James are 1 and 1A and should go in the top 10. Bates is off the radar, but NFL teams are well aware of his ball skills. Harrison is a real athlete who could play single-high safety, but might be best in the box. Reid, brother of 49er safety Eric, is interchangeable in terms of position and has great coverage skills. Keep an eye on Terrell Edmunds, the brother of Tremaine who has similar physical talents.

SAFETY1. MINKAH FITZPATRICK, Alabama2. DERWIN JAMES, FSU3. JESSIE BATES, Wake Forest4. RONNIE HARRISON, Alabama5. JUSTIN REID, Stanford

MAN-CRUSH LISTMeet the future stars nobody is talking about…

OFFENSE1. RILEY FERGUSON, QB, Memphis2. LOGAN WOODSIDE, QB, Toledo3. QUINTON FLOWERS, QB/RB, USF4. JARVION FRANKLIN, RB, Western

Michigan5. PHILLIP LINDSAY, RB, Colorado6. NYHEIM HINES, RB, NC State7. DIMITRI FLOWERS, FB, Oklahoma8. AUDEN TATE, WR, FSU9. BRAXTON BERRIOS, WR, Miami10. LINELL BONNER, WR, Houston 11. CHRIS HERNDON, TE, Miami12. TROY FUMAGALLI, TE, Wisconsin13. CHUKWUMA OKORAFOR, OT,

Western Michigan14. BRANDON PARKER, OT, North

Carolina A&T15. TONY ADAMS, G, NC State

DEFENSE1. B.J. HILL, DT, NC State2. ANDREW BROWN, DT, Virginia 3. OGBONNIA OKORONKWO, DE,

Oklahoma4. DUKE EJIOFOR, DE, Wake Forest5. JACK CICHY, LB, Wisconsin6. DORIAN O’DANIEL, LB, Clemson7. OREN BURKS, LB, Vanderbilt8. GENARD AVERY, LB, Memphis9. KEISHAWN BIERRIA, LB, Washington 10. AZEEM VICTOR, LB, Washington11. QUENTON MEEKS, CB, Stanford12. KEVIN TOLIVER, CB, LSU13. ISAAC YIADOM, CB, Boston College14. JORDAN WHITEHEAD, S, Pittsburgh15. MARCUS ALLEN, S, Penn State


Saquon Barkley is the best running back prospect to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson left Oklahoma in 2007 and Gridiron’s No. 1-ranked player in the 2018 draft. But what drives this boy

from the Bronx, where does his fight come from and why is he such a special talent?

WORDS: SIMON CLANCY

When he was young, Saquon Barkley and his father Alibay used to walk to practice and games. Not because

they wanted to, but because they had to. There was no car in the family so, if Saquon wanted to play, he had little option. They’d leave their red brick house on the north side of Coplay, Pennsylvania, squeezed between Gigi’s Pizza Grill and the sporting goods store, and walk down N 2nd Street, past Tony’s Hobby Shop and Lansky and Sons Auto, and into Hokendauqua, where N 2nd Street runs into S Front Street. There, next to the beautiful First Presbyterian Church, is Bob Warke Field, where Barkley first made a name for himself. It was here that he won $100 from his father for scoring 15 touchdowns in a season on his way to becoming a star of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth League.

But Saquon’s biggest moments came not on that turf, where now some old tackling dummies stand between two banks of rusted bleachers. No, the lessons that turned him into the best all-round prospect in this draft came on those walks. It was there he learned of Alibay’s addiction to drugs, his time in Rikers Island prison and both parents’ fight to keep the family together. And Saquon vowed that, no matter what, he’d work hard at being a good human being so as never to find himself in that situation.

It’s first and 10 early in the third

quarter of the 2017 Rose Bowl. The game is already turning into a classic. Barkley’s Penn State trail Sam Darnold’s USC 27-21 and they’re 79 yards away from re-taking the lead.

The next 16 seconds change everything forever.

Barkley takes the handoff and attacks the B gap but meets linebacker Uchenna Nwosu in the hole. Stopping on a dime, he cuts outside the defender’s grasp, then freezes defensive back Marvell Tell by stopping his feet completely and accelerating around him and heading towards the sideline.

“I KNEW HE WAS GOING TO BE SPECIAL WHEN HE STARTED

PLAYING ‘BALL. HE WAS A VERY… A VERY ADAMANT KID.”

Four seconds have passed. He’s gained half a yard.

At that moment, cornerback Ajene Harris approaches. Barkley sticks his foot in the ground and cuts back inside him before turning on the jets and running between Adoree Jackson and linebacker Cameron Smith. Five yards later, CB Jack Jones slides in front of him and Barkley cuts back inside again, then once more between safety Chris Hawkins and Smith. He evades a desperate, diving Porter Gustin at midfield and suddenly, finally, hits daylight. He’s evaded eight tacklers

in nine seconds of mind-blowing running. Seven seconds later, having outrun Jackson, he is in the end zone. America is awestruck. It’s one of the most electrifying plays in a generation. Tough, powerful, strong, fast. It’s as balletic as it is explosive. It’s as beautiful as a butterfly, as devastating as a knockout punch.

And it, too, was forged on one of many walks along the streets of Coplay. And by a family history that set Saquon Barkley on the path to greatness.

“I knew he was going to be special when he started playing ‘ball. He was a very… a very adamant kid,” says Iran Barkley from his home in the Bronx. Iran, too, was once a sporting God: a three-weight world champion at middleweight, super-middleweight and light-heavyweight whose two victories over Thomas Hearns in Las Vegas and epic 12-round defeat to Roberto Duran in Atlantic City are remembered as three classics of a boxing generation that contained the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez and Marvin Hagler.

He isn’t the raconteur he once was, his speech slow and measured. Occasionally two words run into one. But there’s a balance to his voice when he talks about his great-nephew. “I was around him a whole lot growing up,” he tells Gridiron. “He was a funny kid. Always runnin’ here and there. He was quick, always in and out of things. I’d play with him in the yard a little bit. He was always into sports. Football and basketball.”

His nephew – and Saquon’s father

A BRONX TALE


– Alibay was a boxer as well: “He got into some trouble when he was coming up. He could fight, even made Golden Gloves one time. He was pretty good. But he made some bad choices in his life and things caught up with him.”

Before Saquon was born, Alibay was a troublemaker. Involved with drugs from an early age, he spent a year in Rikers on a gun charge. “He told me he watched me fight when he was up there (in Rikers),” Iran adds. “Said it motivated him to fight again when he got out.” So what about Saquon? Could he have been a fighter

instead of a football player? “Nah, he wasn’t into boxing too much,” he says slowly. Perhaps he’s choosing his words carefully. Or perhaps the fog of 100,000 blows to the head is having an effect. “Football was the gift God gave him, just like He gave me boxing. We all do the best with what we got.”

The two sports have plenty in common: the culture of the sweet science, the brand of mental and physical toughness, to dish out and receive pain, to exert yourself to your physical limit and beyond. That’s what Saquon fell in love with as a kid.

He just chose pigskin over ring craft. “I could have boxed,” Barkley told USA Today in an interview last year. “I truly, truly believe that if I didn’t fall in love with football, I would’ve ended up being a boxer.” Iran laughs when we read that quote, but then tells us that, on his first carry in Pop Warner, Saquon was hit so hard that a tooth came out. “He got straight back up,” he says. “He liked being hit. But he liked running away from people more.”

To get to Coplay and Bob

Warke Field, the Barkleys

had to leave the Bronx. Saquon’s mother Tonya told USA Today that the area they lived in had become “drug infested” and that the hallways of their block were “roaming with gangsters, even when you’re coming out of your apartment to go to work in the morning”. Alibay was back using drugs and Iran says there was a line-in-the-sand moment. “Tonya said she was leaving,” he tells Gridiron. “She said he could stay (in the Bronx) or they could leave as a family.”

So the Barkleys headed some two hours up I-78 to Pennsylvania and, in doing so, changed their futures forever. “They had space to run around. And my nephew…. he got a new focus. He got off the drugs. And they never hid anythin’. I think that’s why they’re strong.”

Saquon began dominating at Hokendauqua, then headed to Whitehall High School – only to find the early days difficult. At 160lbs and without a proper gym routine, he struggled. On the brink of quitting, his father – who’d long contemplated what might have been were it not for

a serious shoulder injury that sapped his punching power – gave his son some sage advice. “He told him ‘If you quit this, it’ll be easy to quit jobs, quit relationships, quit on your kids,” reveals Iran. “That’s why Saquon’s always in the game. He ain’t a quitter.”

“WE’RE BACK! AND SAQUON IS THE PERFECT REPRESENTATION

OF PENN STATE FOOTBALL AND ALL THE GOOD IT

STANDS FOR. WHAT THIS KID ACCOMPLISHED… WOW.”

As a sophomore, he started to bulk up and got extended playing time. Rutgers offered him a scholarship based on his JV tape alone. He accepted gleefully and would have been a Scarlet Knight were it not for Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien telling him that, under no circumstances, could he leave the

state. It was a decision, says Nittany Lion legend Franco Harris, that Barkley struggled with.

“He’s such a great kid. I think he felt like he’d made a commitment to Rutgers and he didn’t want to go back on that,” NFL Hall-of-Famer Harris tells Gridiron from his home in Pittsburgh, where he won four Super Bowls. “I remember him telling me that it was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do and that he felt wrong doing it. But he told me that the next four or five years of his life would determine his next 40. You can understand why someone would want to make sure they got that right.”

It proved a wise choice for Barkley and Penn State. For all the dark days of the sexual-abuse scandal were diminishing, the once-great University was crying out for someone, anyone, to resuscitate it.

Up stepped Saquon.

If ever an institution needed a clarion call, he delivered. To the tune of 59 touchdowns on the field and the

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Saquon Barkley

POSITION: Running back

DATE OF BIRTH: February 9, 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH: Bronx, NY

WHO THE HECK? Powerhouse all-rounder with brains to match – he was headed for Rutgers before de-committing in favour of Penn State – Barkley, the nephew of former three-weight world champion boxer Iran Barkley, is threatening to become the first RB to be selected No.1 overall in 22 years.

BEST OF TIMES: As if having an entire college career worth of show-reel content – including assorted Penn State rushing records and scintillating on-field performances – and then following it up by blowing everyone away at the NFL Combine wasn’t enough, Barkley was also honoured by the Pennsylvania House Chamber when March 14 2018 was officially named Saquon Barkley Day.

WORST OF TIMES: For all of his multiple-touchdown, massive yardage performances on a Saturday, Barkley was unable to add to his various records, awards and All-America nominations by capturing the college recognition every player desires, the Heisman Trophy.

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Franco Harris

POSITION: Running back

DATE OF BIRTH: March 7, 1950

PLACE OF BIRTH: Fort Dix, NJ

WHO THE HECK? Hall-of-Fame running back selected in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Harris won four Super Bowls with the Steelers and now has a lifesize statue greeting visitors to the city’s international airport.

BEST OF TIMES: While collecting a quartet of Lombardis surely stands out among his achievements, Harris will always be remembered for the controversial ‘Immaculate Reception’, where he caught a deflected pass inches above the ground and ran into the end zone to secure a first playoff win for the Steelers and fuel an ongoing rivalry with Oakland. Questions remain over the legality of the play but, without knowing who deflected the ball, the score stood and, from that point on, Pittsburgh went on to become an NFL powerhouse.

WORST OF TIMES: Despite closing in on Jim Brown’s all-time NFL rushing record, Harris ended his career in Seattle after the Rooney family refused his request for a pay rise. In that final 1984 season with the Seahawks, he played just eight times and, in gaining only 170 yards, fell 192 short of Brown’s record.


perfect student off it. “I tell people the NCAA tried to shut us down,” says Harris. “They had us on our knees and were trying to smash us to the ground.” There’s anger in his voice as he reflects on the chapter that almost finished the school for good. “We were so fortunate that Bill O’Brien did what he did and held the programme together. And so fortunate that, when other players were de-committing from us, he managed to persuade Saquon that he could be part of something special. I think the kid truly believed in us and he helped put us back on the national stage.

“We’re back! And Saquon is the perfect representation of Penn State football and all the good it stands for. What this kid accomplished… wow. I think these have been the greatest and most important two years in Penn State history and Barkley… he was such a huge part of that. Wow.”

As NFL teams conclude their background checks on players up and down the country, there will be a rare consensus on the Nittany Lions star runner. They’ll discover something he’d vowed to achieve years earlier: to become a great player and a greater human being. “I would punch myself in the nuts many, many, many times to be able to draft him,” one assistant coach said at the combine. Another scout compared him to a superhero, saying: “After his last drill, I thought he was going to put on a cape and fly out of here.” And one GM told the NFL Network: “He checks off all of the boxes as a player, and he’s an exceptional character kid. It’s hard to find a hole in his game. He has every single trait that you want in a player. He’s about as perfect as they come at the position.”

So what does Harris think of Barkley on and off the field? “Hey he’s a great player,” he says. “But it’s true what they say – he’s a better kid. You know, you watch him play the game and he’s aggressive and tough and physical and all these things, but then when you meet him, you wonder if it’s the same person because all that stuff gets thrown out of the window. He’s so

respectful. You can tell he’s had a good upbringing. You know, a lot of times life is about how you deal with people, and how you respect people. He’s a really good man. Just someone that makes you feel comfortable to be around.”

The snow is falling in Pittsburgh as Harris talks. Seven or eight inches in the last few hours he surmises. The 68-year-old looks out of the window and tells us he has to dig out the cars. “So what sort of runner do you see when you watch him?” we ask. He pauses, long enough to make Gridiron think the line’s dropped off. Then he utters one word: “Wow.” And he’s off, eulogising on a guy he clearly thinks is going to be a superstar on Sundays.

“I mean he’s got it all,” enthuses Harris. “Instincts, he knows when to cut, when to jump...” He laughs as if not quite believing what he’s seeing in his mind’s eye. “There’s just this sixth sense the great ones have so they can get the job done and make it happen. And big plays… boy he makes some big plays. Anyone can make four yards a carry, but Saquon can turn a game around.”

So are we right? Is he the best running back since Adrian Peterson? A generational talent? He thinks a while and then gives us an answer. But then he thinks some more and asks us not to use his first response, instead tempering exceptions a little. “Look, I’ll say this… I’m a huge fan of his. And I love the way he runs. With his talent and drive and determination and his work ethic, he’s going to be… he has so much potential and the ability to do unbelievably great things. Now it’s up to him to go and do it and I look forward to watching him.”

On those long walks to and from practice and games, Alibay Barkley would carry an emergency asthma inhaler just in case his son needed it. His allergy had all but disappeared upon leaving the Bronx, but Alibay carried it anyway, just in case. They’d often talk football, the Jets, Curtis

Martin and the stop-start genius of Barry Sanders.

They’d talk about how Saquon was almost called Tupac Shakur Barkley after his father’s love for the rapper. And they’d talk about the path that led them to rural Pennsylvania

and the one that might lead them to somewhere very rare.

It’s hard to measure heart. Impossible even. But when you look back at Saquon Barkley’s early years,

it’s easy to see how a family that hid nothing and made him responsible for everything forged the young man who stands tantalisingly close to the brink of NFL stardom.

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Iran ‘The Blade’ Barkley

POSITION: Orthodox

DATE OF BIRTH: May 6, 1960

PLACE OF BIRTH: Bronx, NY

WHO THE HECK? Youngest of eight children, convinced to box by his scrapping sister in order to escape gang life in the Bronx ‘Projects’, Barkley went on to win amateur world championship bronze before claiming professional world titles at three different weights.

BEST OF TIMES: Barkley pitted himself against some of boxing’s biggest names – including Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns, Roberto ‘Hands of Stone’ Duran and Nigel ‘Dark Destroyer’ Benn – in a pro career that spanned 16 years between 1982-99, beating the former for the WBC middleweight crown in the ‘Upset of the Year’ in 1988. He went on to win the IBF super-middleweight and WBA light-heavyweight titles, again defeating Hearns, before retiring with a 43-19-1 record.

WORST OF TIMES: Since quitting the ring after ill-fated comebacks in 2006 and ‘08, Barkley fell on hard times. Unemployed and evicted, he received support from both local non-profit organisation BronxWorks and the Ring 10 boxing charity, and occasionally helps coach aspiring amateurs.

COMBINE RESULTS:

RB: SAQUON BARKLEY PENN ST. BIG TEN

HEIGHT: 6'0"

ARM LENGTH: 31 3/8"

WEIGHT: 233LBS

HANDS: 9 1/2”

40 YD DASH

4.40 SEC

20 YD SHUTTLE

4.24 SEC

BENCH PRESS

29 REPS

VERT JUMP

41.0"

= TOP PERFORMER AT POSITION = SECOND BEST PERFORMER AT POSITION


He is the crotch-grabbing, flag-planting, Lee Corso-hating, trash-talking, Baylor-spanking, touchdown machine from the University of Oklahoma. He is also Gridiron’s No.1-rated

quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft. Meet the polarising Baker Mayfield.

WORDS: SIMON CLANCY

T here are exactly 50 days to go before the 2018 NFL Draft and Gridiron is on hold for Oklahoma head coach

Lincoln Riley. As we wait, the strains of Boomer Sooner ring out through the speaker, followed by the opening line of the state anthem: “There’s never been a better time to start in life. It ain’t too early and it ain’t too late.”

The line clicks and there is Riley, the baby-faced former Texas Tech walk-on who took Oklahoma to the brink of the National Championship.

Sound familiar?There are plenty of eerie

similarities between the 34-year-old head man and the 23-year-old quarterback who ran his offense to such perfection this past season. And plenty of love. Theirs has been a unique relationship, highlighted by Riley choking up and pausing for more than half a minute to gather himself when discussing his star passer. “No matter how long I coach, I don’t know that I’ll ever have a player as special to me as Baker is,” he tells Gridiron.

And so we begin. “I liked him the first time I saw

him,” Riley continues. “He’d left Texas Tech and was up here and we just hit it off straight away, had a great relationship very quickly.” But what about Mayfield, who’d left the

Red Raiders under something of a cloud, was so appealing? “You know, I saw a kid with a lot of upside, a lot of personality. He was very serious about football, really into it, into the Xs and Os. And he was hugely motivated. I was just very excited about working with him.”

“HE WAS A TINY LITTLE GUY. BUT THE INTANGIBLES WERE THERE, AND THE LEADERSHIP.

THAT WAS BAKER”

Mayfield has that effect on most people. Even back in high school, his infectious personality and desire to be the best made him stand out, despite physical limitations. His former high-school coach Hank Carter remembers the days well: “He first showed up here in the summer of 2009, 5ft 3ins, a buck fifty and frightened of no-one,” he tells Gridiron. “This kid was running JV but mixing it with varsity, throwing the rock, getting after everyone. Tiny little guy. But the intangibles were there. The leadership. Jump up there, be vocal. That was Baker.”

Carter is the architect of Lake Travis High School’s remarkable run of state championships: six in a row. No other school from Texas has

won more than five. He is also the man who discovered Mayfield and promoted him to QB1 after an injury to the incumbent. In return, Baker led Carter’s Cavaliers to another title. But like everything, he had to earn it the hard way.

“Our very first scrimmage was against Fort Hood, which had a lot of military kids, so those guys were always tough to play against,” reveals Mayfield. “And they were big. The first play, the ball was snapped, and I rolled out left. But instead of fully rolling out, I stopped halfway. As soon as I stopped, this man-child rocked me from my blindside and drove my shoulder into the ground. I separated my AC joint in my throwing shoulder. So yeah, good start. What really pi**ed me off wasn’t the injury itself, but how it happened. I stopped too early on the rollout. I made a dumb decision, and my body paid for it. Honestly, that was a lesson that helped me a lot in the long run. I had to understand that I couldn’t afford to make bad decisions on the field. I needed to compensate mentally for whatever I might have lacked physically. I was a little kid getting pushed around out there but I wasn’t going to let it happen again.”

“I gotta tell you,” says Carter as he thinks back to that game. “Baker’s right. That really helped him build

“NO MATTER HOW LONG I COACH, I DON’T KNOW THAT I’LL EVER HAVE A PLAYER AS SPECIAL TO ME AS BAKER IS.”

“HE’S AN ARROGANT GUY WHO THINKS HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.”


had told her that he liked Mayfield “most on the field” but “least off it”. Another described the passer as, “Cocky. Over-the-top cocky.”

But remember this: he is not sorry. And he makes no real apology for it. Because once you’ve been told you’re not up to it, the only thing you really care about is proving people wrong.

Proving everyone wrong.

“I HAD TO UNDERSTAND THAT I COULDN’T AFFORD TO MAKE

BAD DECISIONS ON THE FIELD”

“If I were on another team, I’d hate me, too,” says Mayfield. “Everywhere I look, someone’s telling me, ‘You’re not good enough’, or ‘You can’t do this or that’,” he adds. “You can only hear that so many times before enough is enough. In today’s society, that might be something that’s frowned upon, how brutally honest I am. But I won’t change. If you don’t

like me, we probably don’t have the same views and values.”

Over-the-top cocky? Perhaps. He is certainly an acquired taste.

“I think you have to be very careful because, when you start doing the stuff that he does, it brings more attention to you and not the team and, when the game’s over, the team wins, not the player.” Terry Gambill is another Texas high-school coaching legend. He is currently head man of the Allen Eagles, but back in 2011 he was in charge of Midway when they lost the state championship to Mayfield’s Lake Travis Cavaliers. “He was definitely competitive,” he tells Gridiron as he drives to his new school’s $60million football stadium.

“And he had that chip on his shoulder, but he was a bit more restrained. He certainly didn’t act the way he does now. Back then he played it the way it was meant to be played. He wasn’t running around with all the antics you see now.” There’s a barely concealed loathing

in Gambill’s voice. It’s clear Mayfield is a long way from his cup of tea. “I certainly didn’t see a future big-time college player. Not at all. I didn’t think he’d ever go on to do that and, if anyone says they thought he’d win the Heisman, they’re crazy.”

Gambill wasn’t the only one struggling to see a big-time college quarterback. Or any sort of college quarterback. After Mayfield won state, he failed to receive a single FBS offer. He was told his hands were too small, that he was too slow and that he’d never see over the line of scrimmage. His father called the University of Texas, begging Mack Brown to take his son, only to be told that the Longhorns already had five scholarship quarterbacks. Instead, he was persuaded to walk on at Texas Tech, even if insulted by the proposition. “It was like admitting I wasn’t good enough,” he reveals. “But it sure gave me motivation.”

It all started well for Mayfield in Lubbock. He quickly won the

that mentality, that chip on his shoulder. And I love that about him. He’s a joy to be around and he’s earned every inch of what he’s got. Anybody that played with him or coached him, they loved him to death.”

For all Carter’s sign-off is spoken emphatically, it’s incorrect. The Baker he and Riley have experienced isn’t necessarily the Baker others remember. In fact, their reverence is matched equally by the opposite emotions in some. And that’s the great juxtaposition facing evaluators, the one that makes him so polarising.

“He’s an arrogant guy who thinks he knows everything,” TCU head coach Gary Patterson told the media after Mayfield seemed to intentionally throw the ball at one of his Horned Frogs players in pregame warm-ups last season. You’ll hear similar sentiments from Ohio State fans who watched him plant a Sooner flag at midfield after he beat them by 14. And Baylor players who were on their field hours before kickoff and heard Mayfield shouting: “You forgot who daddy is! I’m gonna have to spank you today.” And Texas Tech fans who watched him roll back

into Lubbock three years following his departure wearing a t-shirt with ‘Traitor’ emblazoned on it. And the Kansas players who refused to shake his hand at the coin toss, then watched him grab his crotch in retaliation after throwing another touchdown in a 41-3 beatdown.

At the Senior Bowl, meanwhile, he questioned a Bears scout who requested a sit-down by telling him: “You just drafted Mitch Trubisky. So what do you want with me?” Even after this year’s Scouting Combine,

NFL Network’s Kim Jones reported that one head coach

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Baker Reagan Mayfield

POSITION: Quarterback

DATE OF BIRTH: April 14, 1995

PLACE OF BIRTH: Austin, TX

WHO THE HECK? The walk-on turned Heisman Trophy winner who has made a name for himself both on and off the field by combining scintillating displays for the Oklahoma Sooners with some questionable antics.

BEST OF TIMES: Having capped the 2016 season with MVP honours in a Sugar Bowl victory over Auburn, Mayfield exploded throughout the 2017 campaign, throwing 41 touchdowns and leading the 12-2 Sooners to a third straight Big 12 title and place in the four-team College Football Playoff.

WORST OF TIMES: While his opponent-baiting actions made more recent headlines, Mayfield’s lowest point came earlier in 2017 when he was arrested in Arkansas and charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, fleeing and resisting arrest. Although he pleaded not guilty to all charges, the University of Oklahoma ordered him to undertake 35 hours of community service and an alcohol education programme.

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Lincoln Michael Riley

POSITION: Head coach

DATE OF BIRTH: September 5, 1983

PLACE OF BIRTH: Lubbock, TX

WHO THE HECK? The 34-year old head coach of College Football Playoff semi-finalist Oklahoma Sooners who has rapidly ascended the coaching ladder from student assistant at Texas Tech in 2003.

BEST OF TIMES: Although part of successful teams at Texas Tech and East Carolina, Riley made an immediate impact at Oklahoma where, having served as assistant coach for two seasons, he succeeded mentor Bob Stoops and led the Sooners to a 12-2 overall record and the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.

WORST OF TIMES: Like most future coaches, Riley had ambitions of making the big time as a player, moving from defensive end to play quarterback in high school. He then walked-on at Texas Tech but saw little playing time and realised his best interest lay on the other side of the whitewash.


starting job and earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honours. But behind the scenes there was tension.

Some claim his father interfered too much after his son wasn’t being put on scholarship. Others argue that Kliff Kingsbury was pressured into playing incoming four-star recruit Davis Webb instead of his incumbent. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between

but, regardless, Mayfield had had enough. He packed his car and drove home to Austin, vowing to walk on somewhere else in the conference and promising to make Texas Tech pay for not believing in him.

Enter Oklahoma. “I’d seen him play, obviously,”

Riley admits. “I was probably more aware of him because he played for my alma mater and because we’d had

similar journeys in terms of walking on at Tech, being quarterbacks etc. And I think we both appreciated that journey more than some kids would. To walk on is a motivation. It brings an edge that you always carry with you. You never forget that people didn’t believe in you.” For a year, Mayfield had to sit and stew on those who hadn’t believed. Ineligible to play because of his transfer, he took

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MAYFIELD IN COLLEGE14,607

PASSING YARDS

131

PASSING TDS

30

INTERCEPTIONS

1,083

RUSHING YARDS

21

RUSHING TDS

68.5

COMPLETION %

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38 GRIDIRON

playing in college and a lot of that was down to his mental approach which separated him from everyone else. You know, we’d see on film his ability to get in and out of plays at the line of scrimmage because of what he was feeling and sensing. He was uniquely comfortable doing that. To be successful over there he really had to understand that offense because it’s not simple. But for all intents and purposes it was like playing an NFL quarterback. You know, the arm, the mind, the mentality, the feet.”

And the attitude? “I’ve not been close enough to him

to comment on some of that stuff,” he says. “But I will tell you this, his leadership is something that you can sense when you’re watching on film and you can absolutely sense it when you’re standing on the opposite sideline. You can feel it, the chemistry he has with his team and how he gets the absolute best out of them. I worked with Eli Manning at the Giants and let me tell you, that’s pretty unique in college football. It can look like he’s playing a game everyone else has just learned.”

If Rhule can’t answer the attitude question, his NFL counterparts

will have to soon enough. Someone will have to look past the crotch-grabbing, flag-planting and overt assuredness. They’ll have to overcome the February 2017 arrest for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest that Riley describes to Gridiron as “the sort of high jinks that 99% of college students get up to every weekend”. But some team will look past all of that and invest what is certain to be a top-10 pick in an undersized passer with a chip on his shoulder, rare skillset and even rarer will to win rooted in years of being told ‘You’re not good enough’.”

“The truth is,” says Mayfield, “I’m always going to remember what it was like being that kid who was too small to be given a second look. I’m going to remember what it felt like to be doubted and how amazing it feels to overcome that doubt. In order to be my best, I need to play with an edge, and what I’ve found is that, by showing my emotions, my teammates bring out their emotions as well, which can take everyone’s performance to another level. Sometimes my passion has been mistaken for immaturity, and there

definitely were some moments when I was out of line. But these past four years, I was living out my lifelong dream, and I’m proud that I did it on my terms. All I need is one team out of 32 to take a chance on me. I’m not trying to please everybody. I’m just trying to play for one team and do it the right way.”

In his office in Norman, Riley laughs when Gridiron reads him that quote. But he is more serious when we ask whether the NFL teams that have been calling him almost daily will find Mayfield’s persona to their liking. “Look, I’ve got a guy that isn’t hard to sell. That’s fun, believe me. People will always want to know if it’s a fit and the NFL is such a fit league. It’s business. But Baker brings so much to the table. I just hope he ends up at a great team with a great coach.”

And does the man most responsible with nurturing that talent believe that Mayfield can keep on proving the doubters wrong? “I do. I do. I absolutely believe he’ll be a star. He has the belief and the attitude. He needs to stay healthy, carry on learning and getting better. But I think he’s going to be a great.”

out his frustrations on the first-team defense, ripping them apart in his role as scout-team QB. “Those were his gamedays out there,” says Riley. “Coach Stoops would tell him, ‘Bake, you gotta stop. You’re just supposed to show us how the opponent might look, not embarrass our guys’.”

“I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL BECAUSE WHEN YOU START DOING THE STUFF THAT

HE DOES, IT BRINGS MORE ATTENTION TO YOU AND NOT

THE TEAM AND WHEN THE GAME’S OVER THE TEAM WINS,

NOT THE PLAYER.”

But it only fuelled Mayfield’s fire. “I used to sneak onto the field

late at night when the stadium was completely empty,” he says. “If I was only allowed to practice, I wanted to be the best damn practice player the programme had ever seen. I wanted to prove myself with every single rep, because I understood just how valuable they were. The security guards would boot me out after a while, but I’m a visual learner so just having that time on the field to picture myself leading the offense was invaluable.

“Eventually I managed to get the security code for the indoor practice facility, so I started going there at night. I’d be out by myself, calling out imaginary signals to my imaginary receivers so they could get open against the imaginary defense. I probably looked ridiculous, screaming out formations in the middle of a dark field.”

His work ethic and understanding of the offense started to pique the interests of his teammates and coaches who were intrigued. “From the first day he worked with us, it was like, ‘Wait a second, who is this guy?’” said Oklahoma left tackle Orlando Brown at the combine. “He just has this charisma. You’re

naturally drawn to him. You can talk about how good he is—and he’s really good—but those things you can’t teach. Those are the things that make a great player, a great leader.”

But Mayfield was still haunted by what happened to him in Lubbock, why Kingsbury hadn’t believed in him. If only he could only find someone at Norman to truly buy in, who understood his struggle and what he’d been through.

Enter Riley, at that point the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. “I wasn’t scared of him,” Riley says. “I wasn’t scared to give him the chance to win the starting job. I wasn’t scared about what had gone before, by the fact that he wasn’t a high recruit or that he wasn’t 6ft 3ins, or that it didn’t work out at Texas Tech. Maybe my background came into it a little bit. But really, when he started practising and playing, it was obvious to everyone that he was going to become a star.”

With Riley’s backing, Mayfield found his feet, beat out Trevor Knight for the starting job and finished fourth then third in the Heisman voting in 2015 and 2016, before his monster 2017 campaign. He propelled the Sooners to huge wins at Ohio State, on the road in Stillwater and against Patterson’s TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game. He was a double overtime defeat in the Rose Bowl away from the National Championship. No matter what teams threw at him, opposing coaches simply couldn’t shut him down. Coaches like Baylor’s Matt Rhule. “We tried to slow him up,” he tells Gridiron, discussing their 49-41 loss. “We tried everything. A lot of different coverages, a lot of disguise. We tried to show him some things he might not have seen before…” Rhule tails off and then laughs. “I tried to get him out of his rhythm a little but he was too darn tough to slow down.”

So what does Rhule believe makes him so hard to beat? “Well first off he’s a special player,” he

says. “Really special. Baker was an NFL quarterback

BAKER MAYFIELD RULEAs well as making a name for himself with his on-field performances for Texas Tech and Oklahoma, Mayfield’s transfer from Red Raider to Sooner also led to a change in the rules that forced players to spend time on the sidelines after switching colleges.

Having had appeals against both the NCAA rule requiring transferees to sit out an entire year and the Big 12’s additional stipulation that intra-conference moves cost a year of eligibility, Mayfield’s claim that he should be exempt due to his walk-on status eventually prompted a rethink among conference officials.

Although he was forced to sit out the 2014 campaign, Mayfield benefited from a Big 12 rule amendment in June 2016 that allowed walk-ons without a written scholarship offer to transfer within the conference without losing a season of eligibility. As a result, he was able to play for Oklahoma due to the ruling.

Mayfield shone when the lights were brightest


He may still go first overall, but Sam Darnold’s route to that position hasn’t been as straightforward as once anticipated. Gridiron digs deep on the man expected to be the Cleveland

Browns’ latest quarterback.

WORDS: CHRIS WINTERBURN

Twelve months ago, the NFL Draft took place amid uncertainty. Perhaps like no year in recent history, the

class was lacking a quarterback consensus; the only agreement was there was no agreement. Each of the top passers – Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and Pat Mahomes – had flaws decision-makers could point to, so much so that top selections almost became a poisoned chalice.

Muddying the waters further was the promise of 2018, for scouts and general managers had already begun longingly looking ahead. While the ‘17 class lacked the surety decision-makers crave at a position that will determine their whole career, the next one would be amazing. Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, Luke Falk and others were touted as franchise-altering stars.

And then there was the tantalising jewel in the crown; the ‘best QB prospect since Andrew Luck’ as many in league circles were dubbing him. Understandable, too, for the memories of a 19-year-old Sam Darnold torching Penn State for 453 yards and five touchdowns in perhaps the greatest Rose Bowl in the game’s illustrious history had left an indelible mark. “Quarterbacks are in such demand, teams always want to understand the available market at the position in the future. Darnold’s 2016 tape put him squarely in the mix despite his young age,” former NFL scout Daniel Hatman tells Gridiron.

There was little doubt Darnold would be a No. 1 overall pick. It was just a question of which year he decided to declare.

A year later, Darnold has declared. And yet, his narrative has changed. No longer a consensus top selection, he now finds himself wedged in an intense quarterback derby. One that evokes memories of last season to the undoubted surprise of decision-makers who, with a view to reaping the riches of ’18, opted for safe selections at other positions in 2017.

Key to the confusion is Darnold, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed

California boy who looked

“SAM IS THE ULTIMATE COMPETITOR. HE’S A PLAYER WHO LETS HIS ACTIONS DO THE TALKING AND IS WHAT

I WOULD CALL AN ‘OLD-SCHOOL’ QUARTERBACK.”

“HIS MECHANICS ARE OFF, ESPECIALLY HIS FOOTWORK. HIS FUNDAMENTALS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE.”

every bit The Next Big Thing when becoming the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Award since its inception in 1999. In his first season as starting quarterback at USC, Darnold racked up 3,086 yards, 31 touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 67%. He also shone in the statistical category that will come to define his draft stock, throwing just nine picks.

So where did it all go wrong? A quick look to his 2017 numbers begins to tell the story: 4,143 yards, 26 touchdowns, 63% completion percentage, 13 interceptions, 12 fumbles. Dreadful? Not at all. Hurtful? Absolutely. Suddenly, scouts are left to ponder the unanswerable question: which Darnold will NFL teams see? The star-in-the-making of 2016; or, as former scout Dan Shonka described him to Gridiron, the “turnover machine”. “Each year is a unique piece of the puzzle,” adds Hatman. “Clearly you would like strong, consistent development, but you have to contextualise production and work in order to fully understand how personnel changes impact a player like Sam.”

Contextualising is easy, and you can guarantee teams who fall in love with Darnold’s early tape will make the obvious arguments: last year, USC lost wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers) and guard Zach Banner (a fourth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts). While they have enjoyed differing degrees of success in the NFL, the aforementioned individuals played a pivotal role in the Trojans’ high-octane offense. All of a sudden, in the face of incomprehensible expectations, Darnold had lost his go-to receiver

and a key lineman who was entrusted with protecting him up the middle.

But is that the whole story? Shonka doesn’t think so: “His mechanics are off, especially his footwork. His fundamentals are all over the place. He’s struggled throwing high over his targets and his timing with the new group of receivers in 2017 has been off.”

For all that feels like a significant flaw, Darnold won’t be the first quarterback to enter the pros with fundamentals questions. Nor would he be the first to overcome them. As such, NFL evaluators will likely ponder whether he has enough other skills to compensate. One man convinced he does is Darnold’s high-school head coach at San Clemente, Jaime Ortiz.

“Sam has the unique ability to make others around him raise their level of play to match his, he’s a born leader,” he enthused to Gridiron. “Sam is the ultimate competitor. He’s a player who lets his actions do the talking and is what I would call an ‘old-school’ quarterback. During his time here at San Clemente we saw his ability to lead those around him.”

While Ortiz extols the virtues of Darnold’s orthodoxy, he also believes his protégé – who excelled in high-school basketball too – is an underrated athlete. “His ability to compete on the basketball court undoubtedly helped Sam on the football field; his quick movement in tight spaces improved immediately and we saw the benefit of that.”

The other big factor in Darnold’s favour might be what he hasn’t done: no run-ins with the law, no character concerns. The theme of professionalism is recurrent when you speak to those within the league and

his inner circle; there are no skeletons to find. He is almost the antithesis of Baker Mayfield.

The best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck? No. A better prospect than Mayfield? Time will tell.

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Samuel Darnold


DATE OF BIRTH: June 5, 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH: Capistrano Beach, CA

WHO THE HECK? Prototypical ‘California Kid’, USC quarterback and grandson of Marlboro Man, Darnold combines golden boy looks with a golden arm, propelling himself to potential first overall pick status despite only taking over under centre three games into the 2016 college season.

BEST OF TIMES: Having replaced early-season starter Max Browne, Darnold – who redshirted his first season – set about breaking multiple USC freshman records as he guided the Trojans to eight consecutive wins before setting game records in overcoming Penn State in a high-scoring Rose Bowl thriller.

WORST OF TIMES: What’s not to like about growing up in Cali and being talented enough in two sports – basketball was his other love – to have a potential pro future in either? Despite having to rely on basketball tape to wow college football coaches, the biggest downer in Darnold’s career to date is being told his USC recruiter saw him as a linebacker, not quarterback.

DARNOLD AT USC7,229

PASSING YARDS

57

PASSING TDS

64.9

COMPLETION %

332

RUSHING YARDS

7

RUSHING TDS

22

INTERCEPTIONS


Can a rich kid be money in the NFL? Gridiron unpicks the bizarre debate surrounding Josh Rosen’s draft stock.


It is ironic that, as Josh Rosen battles to become the first quarterback taken in the NFL Draft, a man

whose spectre may determine the outcome of his efforts is undertaking a similar quest to woo evaluators. For when you analyse Rosen’s standing in this quarterback derby, it is impossible not to consider Johnny Manziel’s brief dalliance with the professional ranks.

There are, of course, huge differences between the two cases; Rosen has had no brushes with the law, nor the behavioural issues that plagued Manziel’s time at Texas A&M and, ultimately, the hapless Cleveland Browns. In fact, some teams are reportedly worried that a passion for humanitarian endeavours may prove the biggest distraction.

But in an evaluation process as intense as a murder investigation, it’s the key similarity nervous personnel men may choose to focus on: how both are from privileged backgrounds. Just as Manziel – who has spent much of the last few weeks in the media and at pro days undertaking what he has dubbed ComebackSZN (trademarked) – entered the league amid talk of whether a rich adolescent really had the innate desire to succeed under the spotlight, so too does Rosen – the California kid who installed a hot tub in his dorm room and comes from a wealthy, high-achieving family.

His father, Charles Rosen, was a nationally ranked ice skater turned spine surgeon while his mother, Liz Lippincott, was a well-respected journalist. By growing up in such comfort, Rosen now has the task of proving to teams that he really does love football, and that his life has created the intestinal fortitude required in the pressure cooker.

Sound ridiculous? Welcome to the NFL Draft process.

The reality is that, provided sanity prevails, it will be Rosen’s on-field exploits that determine his outcome in April. And when scouts turn on the tape, they will see arguably the best

pure passer in this class. In his three seasons with UCLA, he

“NOTHING IN HIS FILM GIVES ME REASON TO BELIEVE HE CAN’T SUCCEED.”

“WHILE ROSEN HAS ABILITY, I DON’T FEEL HE’S A FIRST-ROUND WORTHY PLAYER.”

put up completion percentages of 60, 59.3 and 62.5. While others have lacked consistency, Rosen has actually proven a reliable performer.

At 6ft 4ins, he possesses optimal size and, unlike other prospects, has excellent mechanics. Former Rams scouting administrator Russell Lande tells Gridiron: “Rosen has amazing mechanics. I love his talent and believe he shows flashes of the ability to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.”

That viewpoint is backed up by former scout Daniel Hatman, who labels Rosen’s skillset as the “most immediately transferable to the broadest number of NFL teams”. “Scouts are very high on him and I can see why,” he adds. “He has great film and nothing gives me reason to believe he can’t succeed.”

Yet, as with the other signal-callers in this class, you don’t need to dig too far to find conflicting opinions. “Kirk Cousins aside, free agency wasn’t the answer, it was just a stop-gap for teams who need a quarterback because they don’t trust the draft class,” former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel told Gridiron. Even Lande, for all he raved about Rosen’s mechanics, isn’t completely sold. “Good quarterbacks are hard to find. While Rosen has ability, I don’t feel he’s a first-round worthy player,” he adds.

Given the uncertainties at play, it might help if Rosen’s corner was being fought by his closest allies. Instead, he has seen his former head coach Jim Mora Jr. undertake a mini-media tour inadvertently propagating many of the concerns outlined by various scouts. “He needs to be challenged intellectually so he doesn’t get bored. He’s a millennial. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they’re good,” Mora told Sports

Illustrated. “Josh has a lot of interests. If you can hold his concentration and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire. He has so much ability and is a really good kid.”

That this came on the coattails of Mora suggesting he’d take Sam Darnold over his former charge if he were the Cleveland Browns was damning – and only further raised questions of Rosen’s ‘love’ for football. “We all work our butts off,” the quarterback said at the combine. “If we didn’t like football, no matter how talented we are, we wouldn’t be in this position. Using the point that I don’t need to play football is an indication as to why I love the game so much.”

Mora, in fairness, subsequently clarified his claims by suggesting Darnold fits Cleveland’s scheme better, but Rosen is a better prospect. “Josh, I think, without a doubt, is the No. 1 quarterback in the draft. He’s a franchise-changer. He’s got the ability to have an immediate impact,” added the recently fired Mora. “His arm talent, intelligence, and his ability to see the game and diagnose the game is rare. He’d come to the sidelines after a play and it was uncanny — he could right away say exactly why he made every decision.”

But what do the men who have sat in draft rooms think of the furore? “While not having interviewed him myself, what I know about the kid doesn’t scare me at all,” adds Hatman. Lande concurs, suggesting he is confident “despite on-field inconsistencies” that that the 21-year-old is “mentally ready”. “How well he handles being the leader of a team of paid professionals is something he’ll need to develop,” he adds. “I believe he would be an ideal fit with a team like the Chargers, where he can learn from a veteran for a season or two.”

That the majority of questions Rosen has had to answer surround factors outside of his control is unfair and, truth be told, a little ridiculous; it’s not like the Manning brothers, with their NFL quarterback father, were brought up in shanty towns. But it is clearly on the minds of evaluators for whom draft day will come down to deciding if Rosen is a rich kid obsessed with the game à la Peyton Manning, or just another Johnny Manziel.

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen


DATE OF BIRTH: February 10, 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH: Manhattan Beach, CA

WHO THE HECK? Former tennis phenom with alleged ‘rich kid’ persona, Rosen is rated as the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft having helmed the UCLA Bruins from his freshman days.

BEST OF TIMES: A five-star All-American QB coming out of high school, Rosen took over the UCLA reins from Brett Hundley in 2015 as the first true freshman to ever lead the Bruins.

WORST OF TIMES: While his freshman season could be considered a success, Rosen struggled with injury in both the following campaigns, and his commitment to football has been repeatedly called into question by scouts amid accusations of ‘entitlement’ and using football as a platform to air other, outspoken, views.

ROSEN AT UCLA9,340

PASSING YARDS

59

PASSING TDS

60.9

COMPLETION %

-154

RUSHING YARDS

6

RUSHING TDS

26

INTERCEPTIONS


The most electrifying prospect to hit the draft in recent years, Lamar Jackson is polarising scouts ahead of D-day.

WORDS: MATTHEW SHERRY

"He’s short, a little bit slight, and clearly not the thrower that the other guys are. His accuracy isn’t there, so

I would say, don’t wait to make that change, don’t be like the kid from Ohio State [Terrelle Pryor] and be 29 when you make the change.”

The quote that will come to define Lamar Jackson’s NFL career wasn’t even spoken by him. Should he be successful, former Bills and Colts personnel czar Bill Polian’s claim the most electrifying quarterback in college football history should move to wide receiver will become the NFL’s Alan Hansen moment.

There is so much to unpick from Polian’s comments, but let’s begin with height. Jackson is nearly 6ft 3ins, three inches bigger than Johnny Manziel. Ahead of the 2014 draft, Polian said: “Johnny Manziel has magic. If you’re in the Browns draft room, you owe it to the fans to consider taking him at four.”

Then there is the accuracy; Jackson’s completion percentage of 57 isn’t amazing, but he improved year on year (54.7 – 56.2 – 59.1). His mark is better than that managed by Josh Allen (56.2), who showed no improvement over his career against a poorer standard of competition, and that put up by Matt Stafford and Matt Ryan in their collegiate careers.

As for moving to wide receiver, that should be taken with the same grain of salt used to digest Polian’s assertion that the quarterbacks Indianapolis rated as “solid, first-round, can-lead-you-to-a-championship [guys]” during his tenure were Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers. Polian passed on Brady five times.

But for all that his words have been rightly ridiculed, some teams reportedly asked Jackson to work out at wide receiver during the Scouting Combine – and they do hit on the reality facing this divisive prospect.

“There were times scouting games where we’d stop what we

were watching because they’d be showing one of

“THERE WERE TIMES WHEN WE WERE SCOUTING GAMES THE LAST TWO SEASONS AND WE’D STOP WHAT WE WERE WATCHING

BECAUSE THEY’D BE SHOWING ONE OF HIS HIGHLIGHTS.”

“THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING WHO THINK HE’S AN AVERAGE PROSPECT BASED SOLELY ON MECHANICS.”

his highlights,” an NFC front-office member tells Gridiron.

While the draft looks set to take place without a consensus No. 1 quarterback, there is little doubt who most would rather watch. Jackson was the best player in college football over the last two seasons, an athletic phenom boasting speed and growth as a passer. He became the youngest Heisman winner on the back of performances put forth in Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino’s offensive system that mixed pro-style concepts and spread elements, and was considerably more difficult to grasp than those utilised by his draft rivals.

Not bad for a kid who described the Cardinals’ playbook as ‘looking like foreign letters’ when remembering his early days on campus. Yet the fact he was learning the complexities was due to his desire to play quarterback; a superstar at Boynton Beach High, he had plenty of offers having racked up 50 points per game as a senior, but chose Louisville for Petrino’s record of developing passers.

That job is a two-way street and Jackson, known for his 6am film sessions and virtual-reality training on campus, was a model student. Perhaps, then, it is understandable that he scoffed at the idea of working out at wide receiver during the combine.

“I don’t even know where it comes from, I’m strictly a quarterback.” Jackson told NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “I thought I did a good job at quarterback [at Louisville].”

From the moment he began his Louisville career with an interception against Auburn, a game in which he almost brought the Cardinals back from a 17-0 deficit, Jackson stunned audiences every Saturday. But can he repeat the feat on Sundays?

“From NFL perspective, how does he translate?” the NFC personnel man adds. “As a passer, he finds receivers better from the pocket than RGIII did. But RGIII had a mighty accurate deep ball and Jackson’s throws get adventurous when throwing at distance.”

In many ways, he faces a similar challenge to Allen. Except Allen fits the old-school profile of what many veteran evaluators have been taught to look for: tall, big arm and, uncomfortably, being white; for all there may be no malicious intent, it’s difficult to imagine analysts or other analysts declaring Allen should play wide receiver if he boasted 4.3 speed.

Yet pace should be factored into Jackson’s evaluation, too. It is an asset, in the same way his experience taking snaps under centre is. This is a league where Cam Newton has been MVP and Deshaun Watson starred briefly last season. Times have changed, but Watson’s case illustrates one of the troubling issues facing evaluators, given his magnificent seven-game run was ended by a torn ACL: quarterbacks with mobility, even stud dropback passers like Aaron Rodgers, put themselves in harm’s way more. “Size concerns me given how slight he is and how his game breaks down in terms of him taking off,” admits the NFC scout.

Although the profile of an NFL quarterback is changing, scouts still favour the traditional. “What are you looking for in the modern game?” adds an AFC front-office member. “I don’t think the dropback passer is a thing of the past. There hasn’t been a change in what we’re looking for and that will be his battle, given size and mechanics issues.”

So where does Jackson end up? “There are people in the building

who think he’s average based solely on mechanics,” adds the AFC scout. “There are others who think he’d be very interesting in the second round, and some consider him an empty canvas that can turn into a masterpiece. He’s a discussion.”

The key, as with any player, is fit. “I think first round and maybe this is the year [Bill] Belichick says, ‘Screw it, I’m taking Jackson’,” adds the NFC executive. “‘I’m gonna train him up like I did with Jimmy [Garoppolo] and I do not care if Tommy [Brady] feels threatened’.”

Lamar Jackson: Tom Brady’s heir apparent, or Julian Edelman’s?

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Lamar Demeatrice Jackson


DATE OF BIRTH: January 17, 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH: Pompano Beach, FL

WHO THE HECK? All-action, dual-threat Louisville quarterback whose ability to take control of a game led to Heisman honours.

BEST OF TIMES: Jackson’s sophomore season saw him rack up yards, wins and records. He notched 21 rushing TDs to go with 30 through the air and became the youngest ever Heisman Trophy winner.

WORST OF TIMES: Although he was again nominated for the Heisman in his junior year, Jackson’s declaration for the NFL Draft was met with suggestions that he’d be better trying out as a wide receiver.

JACKSON AT LOUISVILLE9,043

PASSING YARDS

69

PASSING TDS

57

COMPLETION %

4,132

RUSHING YARDS

50

RUSHING TDS

27

INTERCEPTIONS


Josh Allen fits all of the traditional prototypes, but is he a stud or dud? Gridiron delivers the lowdown on Wyoming’s rising

thoroughbred.


What does a franchise quarterback look like? It’s the multi-billion-dollar question asked in scouting meetings

every year, one that – truth be told – has an answer nobody wants to acknowledge: that there is no set formula, and they come in all shapes and sizes.

Yet ask 100 NFL evaluators and most will give you a few traits: height, big hands, strong arm. They will describe Wyoming prospect Josh Allen.

Although he possesses the physical, unteachable traits evaluators love, Allen hasn’t enjoyed an easy ascent to this position. For very few potential No.1 overall picks ever have to send multiple emails to college recruiters across the United States of America in search of a starting quarterback job at Division 1 level, especially not when you are 6ft 5ins.

So just why did it take recruiters and NFL scouts so long to notice a signal-caller with the prototypical physique? Especially when, according to Firebaugh High School coach Bill Magnusson, he is “as talented an individual as I’ve coached in my 33 years at high-school level.”

It’s important to view the class as a whole when answering. In Sam Darnold, many people saw the heir to Andrew Luck prior to last year’s draft, although his 2017 NCAA season has somewhat lessened that view.

While there was attention around Allen at the same time, only very few would put their name to suggestions he could be the first quarterback selected in 2018. Allen’s numbers at the collegiate level don’t correspond to the physical attributes scouts often rave about while discussing his legendary pregame warm-up sessions, when the full potential of his rocket-fuelled arm is displayed.

After a broken collarbone saw him miss the bulk of his first year with the Wyoming Cowboys in 2015, he responded in 2016 with 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns, a solid return dampened by completing just 56% of his passes and throwing

15 interceptions. And it was much the same story in 2017.

“TO KNOW THIS KID IS TO LOVE THIS KID; HE PUTS OTHERS AHEAD OF HIMSELF AND EMBRACES THE

BROTHERHOOD OF A TEAM.”

“I’M NOT REALLY A FAN OF ALLEN OR THE CLASS ITSELF; THEY’RE VERY OVERRATED.”

Yet, for many, it isn’t statistics that matter, rather film and how a player is as a person, especially when teams are debating whether to invest their job security. “Josh understands his job perfectly, he’s a fierce competitor and is as generous as anyone,” Magnusson tells Gridiron. “He’s able to take teams and turn them around.”

The book on this QB class is great uncertainty. Mixed production in college suggests a lack of consistency across the board yet, as former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel detailed to Gridiron, teams are still desperate to take one. “I’m not really a fan of Allen or the class itself; they’re very overrated. The scramble for them has nothing to do with how good they are, but rather the fact that the teams who don’t have a quarterback need to get one.”

Gabriel hits on the crux of this process; quarterback-needy teams want to like those available. Thus, when some independent evaluators look at Allen and see Brock Osweiler, those in the hunt will see Carson Wentz. That is further reinforced when they sit opposite him and find a man with a chip on his shoulder and unshakeable confidence.

“Absolutely I’m the best [quarterback in the class],” he says. “I don’t mean that in a cocky way but I think every quarterback should think like that. If you don’t think you’re the elite quarterback in this draft, then you shouldn’t be here.”

Such assurance is understandable. Despite having the deck stacked against him, spending many of his formative years working on the family ranch and in his mother’s restaurant, accomplishment has been the story

of Allen’s life. “Josh always wants to win,” Magnusson adds. “He’s as amped up for Monday practice as he is on gameday. Along with being an All-Valley athlete in three sports (football, basketball and baseball), he’s got both a state and national farmer’s degree from the Future Farmers of America Association. He successfully took calculus in his senior year as well.”

Spirit goes a long way within the confines of an NFL locker room, as illustrated by the closeness of this year’s Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz did a lot to contribute to that atmosphere and, while Allen has been compared to him physically, he will have to show the same human touch.

“He builds great relationships with his peers and coaches,” continues Magnusson. “If he invited the team to his birthday party, they would all show up. To know this kid is to love this kid; he puts others ahead of himself and really embraces the brotherhood of a team.”

The problem with looking like a franchise quarterback is it can prove a curse if teams show too much faith, too soon. Everything we know about Allen suggests he is an Aaron Rodgers-type, in need of time to develop into the passer his physical attributes forecast, but don’t guarantee, he can become. Whether or not he goes first overall, fulfils those traits or is afforded patience are unknowns.

All we can say for certain is the former Cowboy is as self-assured and dedicated as anyone in the draft and has known only success. Now it’s just the small matter of that translating to the NFL.

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Joshua David Allen


DATE OF BIRTH: May 21, 1996

PLACE OF BIRTH: Firebaugh, CA

WHO THE HECK? A small-town, multi-sport ,Carson Wentz-like, late-blooming farm boy, Allen battled through a lack of love from FBS and FCS schools to force his way into contention for top spot in the NFL Draft via junior college and unfashionable Wyoming.

BEST OF TIMES: Having decided to backtrack on plans to enter the 2017 draft in favour of another year’s college experience, the 6ft 5ins Allen led the 8–5 Wyoming Cowboys to Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory over Central Michigan – where his physical attributes and on-field performance combined to put his name in the frame for Day 1 selection in 2018.

WORST OF TIMES: Despite repeated attempts to get the attention of college recruiters, most notably at the Fresno State institution he worshipped as a schoolboy, Allen’s lack of national exposure meant he received zero interest and eventually attended Reedley College, where his impressive performances still went unheeded by all but a handful of minor schools. Wyoming eventually offered him a scholarship, but only after visiting Reedley to scout another prospect.

ALLEN AT WYOMING5,066

PASSING YARDS

44

PASSING TDS

56.2

COMPLETION %

767

RUSHING YARDS

12

RUSHING TDS

21

INTERCEPTIONS


Approximate Value, listing each class’ total AV. AV has a few problems, especially for QBs who began their careers in the 1940s: Norm Van Brocklin has less career value than Dick Shiner; Y.A. Tittle less than Colin Kaepernick; Bridgewater rates ahead of Bobby Layne.

But I was pleased to see AV and I agreed in all but two cases. AV has the 1998 class ahead of 1984. I was tempted to flip my placing, especially

since, as a supplemental pick, Steve Young wasn’t technically part of the class. On the other hand, Young’s USFL years don’t count towards AV. And I felt 1998 ought to be punished for Ryan Leaf. The other was 1987, which is a real strength-in-depth class, almost equal in value to 2004. Of course, the big three QBs from 2004 are still active. I nearly put 1957 ahead of 2004, partly because I think AV underrates the AFL

accomplishments of Len Dawson and Jack Kemp. But certainly the numbers justify 2004’s higher rating, and it may be the single best-judged QB first round of all-time.

The results of Iron Mike’s poll of, well, me are below but, as you read, keep in mind the failure rate even of the highest-picked guys. The draft remains a crap-shoot, and the mix of player, team and situation remains an elusive bit of alchemy.

Every NFL draft class is defined by quarterbacks, their presence or absence, the depth of talent

and the perceived needs teams have at what is arguably the most important position in team sports. It is the time in the NFL year when need meets greed. In our modern era, there are two truths which ought to be almost universally acknowledged: first, it is nearly impossible for any college QB to step in directly and lead an NFL team to success; and second, since the rookie salary cap was imposed, a viable QB still on his first deal is the most valuable commodity in football.

This year is unusual for having a consensus group of five QBs with first-round status, though some teams retain doubts about Lamar Jackson. The problem is there is no consensus on who is No. 1. Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield all have their supporters. But the immediate moves in free agency for each team with the most desperate need (all signed veterans) reinforced the first point I made: everyone now has a potential starter to be a place-holder, if not mentor, for their rookie pick. And, of course, there are a number of teams who will be looking for long-term replacements for their ageing passers, even if they have their own Gwyneth Paltrow-style lifestyle formula.

Speaking of Tom Brady, you probably are somehow aware that the

arguable GOAT was picked in round six, 199 overall, the NFL’s greatest draft steal. But did you know that another guy with five championship rings (equal to Brady), a 9-1 career playoff mark (better than Brady’s) and a 104.8 career playoff passer rating (better than Brady, or anyone else) was drafted with the 200th pick overall. In the 17th round? In 1956, every other team in the NFL passed on Bart Starr 16 times before the Green Bay Packers finally took him.

So a first rounder might not be essential? Don’t tell that to the Jets! In free agency they re-signed last year’s starter Josh McCown, then inked Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year deal, then traded a Kevin Costner-ransom of second-round picks to the Colts to move from the sixth to third pick overall. They appear to have their eyes on one guy, which could be the catalyst that starts the QB panic, and sees maybe four go in the first 6-10 picks. Or not: look at last year’s draft, when two of the three top talents ‘slid’ to 10 and 12. But if there is a run on passers, and the fifth (Jackson?) goes in the next 10, you could even see one or two of the second-tier QBs (Luke Falk, Mason Rudolph or a darkhorse) sneak into the end of the round.

Six would put them into the territory of the famous 1983 draft. You know the names: three of the six first-rounders went into the Hall of Fame, another was a viable long-term starter, a fifth a viable short-term

CARLSON’SCOMMENTARY

CARLSON’S

GOATs

starter. But was the Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, John Elway, Ken O’Brien, Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge group actually the best draft class ever?

To unpack that mystery, I made a list subjectively, and listed the QBs in my rough perception of their value, rather than draft order. I’ve appended the round and overall pick number to each guy. Then I thought I’d like to have an objective valuation of them, so have used Pro Football Reference’s

QUARTERBACKDRAFT CLASSESWith as many as seven passers tipped as potential first-round picks in 2018, Mike trawls through the archives to select his greatest passer classes in history.


THE TOP TEN

10. 2000, AV: 402 – Tom Brady (6/199), Chad Pennington (1/18), Marc Bulger (6/168), Chris Redman (3/75), Tim Rattay (7/212) This draft would score better if Pennington had stayed healthy. The 49ers could have had hometown boy Brady, but Giovanni Carmazzi was the choice. Bill Walsh, Terry Donahue and Steve Mariucci had gone with Jim Druckenmiller just three years earlier, and repeated the mistake. At least they grabbed Rattay in the seventh. Note Spergon Wynn had an

0-3 record as a starter in the NFL.

9. 1998, AV: 480 – Peyton Manning (1/1), Matt Hasselbeck (6/187), Brian Griese (3/91), Charlie Batch (2, 60) Ryan Leaf (1/2)A reminder of how good Hasselbeck was, and Griese and Batch each had a bit of success. Manning has the highest total AV in PFR’s list; that standing is in part a measure of how bad Leaf's career was.

8. 1984, AV: 470 – Steve Young (supp), Boomer Esiason (2/38), Jeff Hostetler (3/59), Jay Schroeder

(3/83), Steve Pelluer (5/113)As mentioned above, Young’s USFL plus outweighs the supplemental draft minus. Boomer’s in the Hall of the Very Good, Hostetler won a Super Bowl and could’ve had a longer starting career; both Schroeder and Pelluer were useful starters (and the latter came back with the Frankfurt Galaxy!).

7. 1973, AV: 488 – Dan Fouts (3/64), Bert Jones (1/2), Ron Jaworski (2/37), Joe Ferguson (3/57), Don Strock (5/111), Gary Huff (2/33), John Hufnagel (14/348)Hufnagel had a good career in Canada before moving into coaching. Strock battles Earl Morrall, Charley Conerly and Hostetler as the best starter/backup of all-time. Fouts was a legitimate great of the game.

6. 2005, AV: 526 – Aaron Rodgers (1/24), Alex Smith (1/1), Ryan Fitzpatrick (7/250), Kyle Orton (4/106), Derek Anderson (6/213), Matt Cassel (7/230), Jason Campbell (1/25), Charlie Frye (3/67), Dan Orlovsky (5/145) Still accumulating AV and thus moving up the charts. Fitzpatrick, from Harvard, has carved out a great up-and-down career, and Derek Anderson remains a viable backup. Rodgers gives this group an X-factor.

5. 1987, AV: 597 – Vinny Testaverde (1/1), Rich Gannon (4/98), Jim Harbaugh (1/26), Chris Miller (1/13), Steve Beuerlein (4/110), Don Majkowski (10/255), Cody Carlson (3/64), Kelly Stouffer (1/6)Stouffer sat out a season, refusing to sign after the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him and low-balled their contract offer. That was his best NFL season. Miller was the reason the Falcons let Brett Favre go and before injuries (mainly serious concussions) intervened, that decision made sense. Cody is the best Carlson to play QB in the NFL, well ahead of Jeff.

4. 1957, AV: 554: Len Dawson (1/5), Sonny Jurgensen (4/43), John Brodie (1/3) Jack Kemp (17/203), Milt Plum (2/17) Two Hall of Famers, two in the Hall of the Very Good, and Plum took the

TWO-MAN DRAFTSThere are a few great two-man draft classes. In 1948, we had Bobby Layne (1/3) and Y.A. Tittle (1/6), which is good picking. The next-best QB that year was George Ratterman of Notre Dame (16/139), who set a rookie TD record (22) for the AAFC Buffalo Bills that wasn’t broken until Peyton Manning came along. Tittle signed with the AAFC’s 49ers and Layne was doomed to play for George Halas. Halas’ butchering of QB careers should be legendary; his opinion of Norm Van Brocklin was that he couldn’t play: ‘All he can do is throw the ball.’ The next year, 1949, Van Brocklin (4/37) and George Blanda (12/119) were drafted; Dutch dropped because teams thought he would stay in college one more year. Blanda went to Halas in Chicago; he played him at linebacker. The next-best QB in that draft was taken in the first round, Frank Tripucka (1/9), who followed Ratterman at Notre Dame. His impact came in Canada and then the early QB-desperate AFL.

The most famous two-QB draft must be 1979: Phil Simms (1/7) and Joe Montana (3/82) – but remember that was the Niners’ first pick that year. Notre Dame QBs don’t get much respect in the selection stakes, and have had very chequered NFL careers, Montana aside. The first QB taken in that draft, third overall, was Jack Thompson, the immortal Throwin’ Samoan. The rest of the selections included Steve Fuller (1/23), Steve Dils (4/97) and Jeff Rutledge (9/246).

IN 11TH PLACE…1999, AV: 357 – Donovan McNabb (1/2), Daunte Culpepper (1/11), Tim Couch (1/1), Aaron Brooks (4/131), Shaun King (2/50), Cade McNown (1/12), Brock Huard (3/77)

The first three picks were all QBs, five in round one. Third overall was Akili Smith, who must thank the Lord for Ryan Leaf or else he’d be the worst QB draft bust in history. Remember when Rush Limbaugh, for some reason in the Monday Night Football booth, opined McNabb was just another QB but the press wanted him to succeed because he was black. Well, at the same time, Culpepper, Brooks and King were all succeeding, press or no. This draft also stocked NFL Europe with Joe Germaine, Kevin Daft and Michael Bishop.

Browns to a championship. Ken Ploen (19/222) was MVP of the 1957 Rose Bowl and played well for Bud Grant’s Winnipeg in the CFL.

3. 2004, AV: 605 – Ben Roethlisberger (1/11), Philip Rivers (1/4), Eli Manning (1/1), Matt Schaub (3/90), Luke McCown (4/106), J.P. Losman (1/22) McCown’s eight points of AV pushed this class ahead of 1987, along with my perception that it may be the best-evaluated group of all. The top guys delivered just as they were supposed to, and Schaub had a useful career. Of course, Eli forced a trade to the Giants; the Chargers won the trade and the Giants two Super Bowls. Rivers and Ben are very close statistically, and well ahead of Eli, but Manning’s the only one whose stats actually get better in postseason play.

2. 1971, AV: 616 – Ken Anderson (3/67), Jim Plunkett (1/1), Archie Manning (1/2), Joe Theismann (4/99), Dan Pastorini (1/3), Lynn Dickey (3/56)They’d have more AV if Theismann hadn’t gone to Canada before joining Washington. Archie, of course, played his whole career on woeful teams, for which he has to bear some responsibility, but you have three

competent starters, two more who won Super Bowls (a pair in Plunkett’s case) and one guy (Anderson) who ought to be in the Hall of Fame.

1. 1983, AV: 697 – John Elway (1/1), Jim Kelly (1/14), Dan Marino (1/27), Ken O’Brien (1/24), Tony Eason (1/15), Todd Blackledge (1/7), Babe Laufenberg (6/168), Gary Kubiak (8/197)You knew all along this was the

winner, right? Six first-round QBs remains the record: three Hall of Famers and two very good in O’Brien and Eason, with the latter having taken the Pats to a Super Bowl. Remember Elway was drafted by the Colts but forced a trade to Denver, which is probably where Eli got the idea. Imagine what might have happened if Bobby Hebert had not signed with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers before the NFL Draft.

ONE TO WATCH2012, AV: 351 – Russell Wilson (3/75), Andrew Luck (1/1), Kirk Cousins (4/102), Ryan Tannehill (1/8), Nick Foles (3/88), Robert Griffin III (1/2), Brock Osweiler (2/57) Brandon Weeden (1/22)

Obviously, this class has the potential to grow into the top three, particularly if Luck can return to form following injury problems. Note their AV would be a bit higher if someone had bothered to draft Case Keenum.


More than a feel-good story, Shaquem Griffin has earned every second of his pre-draft attention, and not just because he has one hand. Gridiron looks at the rise of an outstanding player and a

remarkable inspiration.

WORDS: SIMON CLANCY & L IAM BLACKBURN

As the clapping died out and Shaquem Griffin settled on the bench, the voice of San Francisco 49ers

assistant strength and conditioning coach Marquis Johnson could be heard above the quietened room. “I need all you got, I need all you got. Come on, I need all you got.”

Griffin attached his prosthetic arm to the bar and then inhaled deeply, lifting himself two or three times, before adjusting his position until he was entirely comfortable. “Come on, come on, come on, come on,” urged Johnson in the final seconds before he began. Griffin took one last deep breath and lifted the bar from its resting place.

“There you go. Go to work, go to work, go to work,” urged Johnson as the noise levels increased. The next 32 seconds at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine would define the entire event and put Griffin on the worldwide map forever.

If that performance was the first you’d seen or heard of Griffin then where have you been? A one-handed linebacker playing FBS college football for an unbeaten AAC team? Who won conference defensive player of the year to boot? Shame on you. But then Griffin has been fighting the system all his life. Fighting in the last desperate moments inside his mother’s womb as the amniotic band wrapped around his left hand, crushing the

life from it. Fighting the pain in his fingers as a child until he could take it no more. Fighting to prove to high-school coaches and college recruiters that he could play the game he loved. And fighting to be taken seriously by the NFL who saw a one-handed curiosity and not a natural playmaker.

But the tide has turned.

“I WALKED IN AND HE HAD A KNIFE IN HIS HANDS.”

“The first time I saw him play I was like, ‘Who is number 18?’,” says NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. “I knew nothing about his hand, all I knew is there’s a football player who flies to the ball and the one constant was, wherever the football ended up, 18 was gonna show up afterwards.”

Being around the ball has always been the most important thing in Griffin’s life. When he was four, he decided he couldn’t cope with the pain in his fingers any longer. He couldn’t grip the ball and, when he tried, the discomfort was too much. So he decided to do something about it. “I walked in and he had a knife in his hands,” his mother told the Los Angeles Times. “He told me he was going to cut his fingers off so he could get back out and throw a football around with his brothers.”

His parents took him to the emergency room and a day later they operated, removing his hand.

Twenty-four hours after the surgery, Shaquem was taken to daycare. He and his teacher were instructed not to do anything outside. “I pick him up and find him outside with a football in his hand and bandage just dripping blood,” said Tangie Griffin. “He came barrelling towards me with a football under his arm, and his classmates chasing him. He shows me the ball all covered in blood and I knew he’d be fine.”

“I didn’t care, I was going to play ball regardless,” Shaquem tells Gridiron. “Being able to tackle people as hard as you can and not get in trouble for it... having fun, being aggressive, catching the ball, making plays, it is just the ultimate high. I just caught the ball, I’m making a juke move, I’m making a strip tackle, I’d make a game-winning tackle. I used to go to sleep with my uniform on. I was ready to sleep with my cleats on; I probably would have done that too but I wasn’t allowed to walk in the house with cleats on.”

It helped, too, that nobody ever made fun of his deformity. “I adapted pretty fast so, if kids noticed, they’d ask and I’d tell them and that was pretty much it,” he reveals. “I never want people to feel nervous around me.” A girl in elementary school once called him ‘pickle hand’, which actually made Shaquem and his family laugh. He was first to learn to tie his shoe, even before his brother, and then played Little League and flag football by the time he was six.

But that didn’t stop people trying

GRABBING HIS CHANCE


to take the game he loved away because he didn’t conform. “When I was eight, I was playing every week. We had a game one day in St Petersburg and I got weighed as usual before kickoff. It was youth ‘ball so, if you were too light or too heavy, you couldn’t play. I knew I was well within the limits because I’d weighed myself the night before and again that morning so I was good to go.”

Except he wasn’t. Opposing coaches told Griffin he was ‘too heavy’, even though the scales said something different.

“They told me I couldn’t play,” he says. “I was heartbroken, right? I mean, I was devastated. My coach

put his arm around me, told me everything was gonna be OK and took me back into our locker room and weighed me himself. I was not overweight. I was thinking the other coach’s scale must be broken or something. It didn’t even occur to me that somebody might deliberately try to keep me off the football field.

“I did have a lot of people tell me that football shouldn’t be the main outlet of me being able to do something with my life. A lot of people said that football was a two-handed game, not one. I knew then that I had to be able to work harder and fight through adversity. I knew it was going to be at each level of my life, from little league, high school

to college and into the NFL. I know there are still going to be people doubting me about me having one hand and being able to play the game of football. I have no problem with proving people wrong. I’ve been doing it my whole entire life and I’m not going to stop now.”

Even now that he’s established, the narrative of overcoming a childhood amputation to play football often overshadows how proficient he actually is at playing linebacker. “It’s not a disability until you make it one,” he laughs. “As long as I’m going fast and making plays,

they’re gonna forget how many hands I have.”

FACTFILEFULL NAME: Shaquem Griffin

POSITION: Linebacker

DATE OF BIRTH: July 20, 1995

PLACE OF BIRTH: St Petersburg, FL

WHO THE HECK? Invite afterthought who, single-handedly, made NFL scouts sit up and take notice with some of the all-time best Scouting combine results by a linebacker.

BEST OF TIMES: Despite his physical shortcoming, Griffin starred for the unbeaten 2017 University of Central Florida team, earning Peach Bowl MVP and AAC defensive player of the year honours, before tearing it up at the combine.

WORST OF TIMES: Shaquem, younger twin to Seahawks DB Shaquill Griffin, was born with an under-developed left hand, the result of amniotic band syndrome in the womb.

WORST OF TIMES: Shaquem Griffin is not the only NFL hopeful to have been affected by ABS, as Wisconsin tight end Troy Fumagalli – 2017 Cotton Bowl offensive MVP despite missing the index finger on his left hand – is also entering the 2018 Draft.

56 GRIDIRON

When it came to college, Griffin, a three-star recruit, met some resistance. But Central Florida didn’t make it an issue. In fact, they got a two-for-one deal. “I was recruited by pretty much everyone,” says Shaquem’s brother Shaquill, who now plays for the Seattle Seahawks. “First Mississippi and then Florida State. South Florida, even Alabama. But we were a package deal,” he said.

George O’Leary, who recruited the twins, accelerated Shaquill’s progress but, as usual, things were more difficult for Shaquem. “I went to UCF thinking I was going to play as a freshman, and everybody was going to know my name. I was so confident,” he says.

“But it wasn’t like that at all.

My freshman year, I got redshirted. The following year, I played well in the spring and worked my way up to second string on the depth chart. Then, right before the season-opener against Penn State, I got bumped down to third string. The next week, I got moved to the scout team. Whenever I asked one of the coaches why I was being demoted, they just said things like ‘Keep working’, ‘Stay focused’ and ‘Your time will come’.”

In the end, it did. After an 0-12 season in 2015,

O’Leary was fired and Scott Frost took over. One of the first things he did was promote Griffin to starter. And the linebacker responded with 166 tackles, including 33.5 for a loss, 10 pass breakups, two interceptions and four forced fumbles in the next two years. He took his role so

seriously that he decided to sleep in the football facility for his

senior season. “I went out and bought a blow-up mattress and a

comforter, and then I went to Publix and stocked

up on drinks and snacks and stuff so I had everything I needed,” he says. “I just stayed and lifted weights and watched extra film at night. To excel at the highest level, you have to take the game seriously. It’s a big responsibility. And that’s what I did.”

His unusual approach certainly helped: Griffin’s performance against Auburn last season might have been the best of any defensive player in 2017. And the NFL was starting to take notice. “It’s not complicated at all,” said Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier at the combine. “He’s got two years of film that’s dynamic. He’s overcome his disability. It’s not anything that’s affected him.”

The biggest concern for Griffin at the next level isn’t that he’s missing a hand, but that he’s undersized for what he does best: rushing the passer. “Shaquem will fit in anywhere,” said UCF teammate Tre’Quan Smith at the Knights pro day. “His heart, his will. I’ve just never seen anybody play like that. All the doubt about him, I don’t know why it’s there. He obviously plays ball.”

But is that enough? Central Florida’s system meant he was often in space, making plays on the ball

going downhill. So can a 227lb front-seven player with one

hand really be a consistent force in the NFL? Mayock believes he can. “Look at Haason Reddick,

who the Cardinals drafted in the first round

last year,” he says. “That’s how he’ll be used, part off-ball

linebacker, part rush end. And I’ve had a couple of teams tell me they’d consider using him as a safety which is really interesting. I mean, it’s not just a feel-good story, he’s a legitimate football player that I can’t wait to see play on Sundays.” Griffin, who confirmed to Gridiron he will fulfil a lifelong dream by attending the draft, is in little doubt about his prospects: “There is only one person that can stop you from accomplishing everything that you want in life and

that is the person looking back in the mirror. The only thing

you can do is work and accomplish everything you want to.”

It is a message Griffin takes great pleasure in sharing with others: “Those moments are the best. A lot of people love awards, but being able to impact kids is the biggest reward. It shows I have a greater purpose.”

The noise in the weight room got louder the more Griffin pushed. He said beforehand he thought six

would be his maximum, but passed that total within seconds.

“Way to go to work,” urged Johnson. After 10 reps, Johnson turned and raised his hands to the waiting coaches and fellow prospects, asking for more noise. “Get it up, let’s go,” he shouted twice. They responded in kind. At 17 reps, Johnson clapped his hands ferociously and screamed, “Let’s go!”. Griffin had more. At 19, Johnson

clapped again and shouted: “Come on with it”. J.J. Watt, watching at home in Houston, tweeted: “Shaquem Griffin is killing it.” He forced the bar up one more time, going for 21 but the lactic acid in his arms bettered him. He let out a roar and gently unclipped his prosthetic from the bar before walking off stage nonchalantly.

For Shaquem Griffin, it was just another step.

COMBINE RESULTS:

LB: SHAQUEM GRIFFIN CENTRAL FLORIDA ACC

HEIGHT: 6'1"

ARM LENGTH: 32 1/8"

WEIGHT: 227LBS

HAND: 9"

40 YD DASH

4.38 SEC

BENCH PRESS

20 REPS

BROAD JUMP

117.0"= TOP PERFORMER AT POSITION


2018 FIRST ROUNDGRIDIRON’S BEST GUESS AT WHAT WILL UNFOLD IN DALLAS ON APRIL 27…

25 T E N N E S S E E T I T A N SRASHAAN EVANS LB ALABAMA

The Titans need a replacement for Avery Williamson, and Evans has the speed and athletic ability to star alongside Wesley Woodyard.

17 L O S A N G E L E S C H A R G E R SJESSIE BATES FS WAKE FOREST

A tough choice. The Chargers could do with a significant upgrade at both tackle spots (Connor Williams is a possibility), but are really sparse at safety.

26 A T L A N T A F A L C O N SD.J. MOORE WR MARYLAND

With Taylor Gabriel moving on to the Chicago Bears this offseason, Matt Ryan gets a perfect replacement in Moore – who thrives after the catch.

18 S E A T T L E S E A H A W K SJAIRE ALEXANDER CB LOUISVILLE

A day-one starter opposite Shaquille Griffin at corner, Alexander has the confidence to step right into the shoes of Richard Sherman.

27 N E W O R L E A N S S A I N T SDA’RON PAYNE DT ALABAMA

New Orleans missed out in the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes, but secure a potential superstar who has slipped down the board slightly due to the quarterback run.

19 D A L L A S C O W B O Y STAVEN BRYAN DT FLORIDA

A one-year starter, Bryan is a great fit in DC Rod Marinelli’s scheme. There is some J.J. Watt to his game, which is the ultimate compliment.

28 P I T T S B U R G H S T E E L E R SLEIGHTON VANDER ESCH LB BOISE STATE

The Steelers get a very similar player to Ryan Shazier: a middle-of-the-defense captain who can tackle and succeed in zone. A perfect fit.

20 D E T R O I T L I O N SMARCUS DAVENPORT DE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO

The Lions gave up 356 yards per game last season and, if they want to challenge in a competitive NFC North, need to get better up front.

29 J A C K S O N V I L L E J A G U A R SLAMAR JACKSON QB LOUISVILLE

The Jags extended Blake Bortles’ contract but he is surely not completely safe. Jackson is the draft’s most electrifying player and would bring further excitement to Duval.

21 C I N C I N N A T I B E N G A L S ( F R O M B U F F A L O )

JAMES DANIELS OL IOWAWith the Bengals moving on from Russell Bodine, Daniels steps in right away to man the pivot on a restructured Cincinnati offensive line.

30 M I N N E S O T A V I K I N G SWILL HERNANDEZ OG UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO

Hernandez is huge, quick and nasty. He’s a plug-and-play starter who, despite his size, is a pure zone-scheme guard. Big-money new boy Kirk Cousins would be happy with this.

22 D E N V E R B R O N C O S ( F R O M B U F F A L O ) MIKE HUGHES CB UCF

Aqib Talib moving to the Los Angeles Rams means there’s a vacancy alongside Bradley Roby and Chris Harris. Hughes excels in man coverage.

31 N E W E N G L A N D P A T R I O T SMAURICE HURST DT MICHIGAN

Hurst falls due to a heart issue, but the Pats aren’t frightened of risks and the value for a much-needed interior pass-rusher is too good to pass up.

23 B A L T I M O R E R A V E N SCALVIN RIDLEY WR ALABAMA

We know Ozzie Newsome loves to draft from the Crimson Tide. Ridley fills their biggest need and is the best wide receiver in this class.

32 P H I L A D E L P H I A E A G L E SJOSH JACKSON CB IOWA

The Eagles are loaded, yet do have a hole at cornerback after losing Patrick Robinson in free agency. Jackson immediately fills that gap.

24 C A R O L I N A P A N T H E R SCHRISTIAN KIRK WR TEXAS A&M

Carolina are another team needing receiver help. Kirk is the perfect slot option who, along with Christian McCaffery, will cause defenses problems.

9 S A N F R A N C I S C O 4 9 E R SDENZEL WARD CB OHIO STATE

The 49ers had three CBs on the field almost 70% of the time in 2017. Ward will play inside from day one for a team seemingly on the rise.

1 C L E V E L A N D B R O W N SSAM DARNOLD QB USC

The Browns finally get a QB who can lead a quickly improving young group towards the playoffs. Darnold fits the bill perfectly here and will surely be the pick.

10 O A K L A N D R A I D E R SROQUAN SMITH LB GEORGIA

Jon Gruden won a Super Bowl in Tampa with Derrick Brooks at linebacker. Smith is similar in almost every aspect and can become a leader on an underperforming unit.

2 N E W Y O R K G I A N T S JOSH ALLEN QB WYOMING

Allen’s stock is rising as teams get a look at that incredible arm. He’s raw and innacurate, but can be brought along slowly behind Eli Manning.

11 M I A M I D O L P H I N S MINKAH FITZPATRICK S/CB ALABAMA

Fitzpatrick allows Miami to disguise coverages – something they’ve really struggled to do. Adam Gase will have good intel from former boss Nick Saban too.

3 N E W Y O R K J E T S ( F R O M I N D I A N A P O L I S )

JOSH ROSEN QB UCLAThe Jets dealt up to secure their quarterback of the future despite bringing back Josh McCown and signing Teddy Bridgewater. Rosen is the best pure passer available.

12 D E N V E R B R O N C O S ( F R O M C I N C I N N A T I V I A B U F F A L O ) ISAIAH WYNN LT/G GEORGIA

Wynn gives Denver options: If Garrett Bolles continues his rollercoaster at LT, he can slot in there. If not, then he’s a starter at LG.

4 C L E V E L A N D B R O W N S SAQUON BARKLEY RB PENN STATE

New GM John Dorsey gets his passer and the draft’s best player. Barkley will start immediately as a cornerstone piece in what is shaping up as a dynamic offense.

13 W A S H I N G T O NVITA VEA DT WASHINGTON

Although Vea may be better suited as a three-technique or a one-gap penetrator, he has the size to play nose tackle and is good value at this spot.

5 B U F F A L O B I L L S ( F R O M D E N V E R ) BAKER MAYFIELD QB OKLAHOMA

A perfect fit in Brian Daboll’s offense. GM Brandon Beane makes his move for our top-rated quarterback with Arizona and possibly Miami lurking.

14 G R E E N B A Y P A C K E R SHAROLD LANDRY DE BOSTON COLLEGE

With Mo Wilkerson, Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark cleaning up inside, the speedy Landry could be a double-digit sack man as a rookie.

6 I N D I A N A P O L I S C O L T S ( F R O M N Y J E T S ) BRADLEY CHUBB DE NC STATE

Indianapolis deal down and still secure the long overdue heir apparent to Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. A perfect draft day for general manager Chris Ballard.

15 A R I Z O N A C A R D I N A L S MIKE MCGLINCHEY OT NOTRE DAME

GM Steve Keim traded Jared Veldheer to Denver and, although the Cardinals have a lot of needs, McGlinchey is a plug-and-play starter who can protect oft-injured QB Sam Bradford.

7 T A M P A B A Y B U C C A N E E R SDERWIN JAMES S FLORIDA STATE

Florida State stud James might be the best athlete in the draft and he pairs with second-year safety Justin Evans to shore up the Bucs’ back end.

16 N E W E N G L A N D P A T R I O T S ( F R O M B A L T I M O R E ) TREMAINE EDMUNDS LB VIRGINIA TECH

The only way Edmunds falls this far is if teams are worried about his age (19). New England view that as a strength and fill their biggest need.

8 C H I C A G O B E A R S QUENTON NELSON OG NOTRE DAME

If Mayfield to Buffalo is the perfect fit, then Nelson to Chicago is a close second. He would look really good in Matt Nagy’s zone-blocking scheme.

MOCK DRAFT

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T H E E N D Z O N EW I T H

K I R K C O U S I N SMeet the man, unwanted in Washington, who landed the first fully guaranteed contract in NFL history...

COUSINS’ UNOFFICIAL

CAREER STATS INCLUDE A FORCED FUMBLE FROM

THE 2016 PRO BOWL WHERE, AS

REPLACEMENT FOR SUPER BOWL-BOUND MATT

RYAN, HE CHASED DOWN THEN BRONCOS CORNERBACK AQIB TALIB AFTER THROWING AN

INTERCEPTION LATE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER.

DISTANCE IN YARDS OF COUSINS’ HAIL MARY PASS FOR MICHIGAN STATE WHICH WENT THROUGH A WISCONSIN DEFENDER’S HANDS, BEFORE BOUNCING OFF MSU RECEIVER B.J. CUNNINGHAM’S HELMET AND INTO THE ARMS OF

BACKUP-QB-TURNED-WR KEITH NICHOL, WHO FELL OVER THE GOAL LINE TO BREAK A 31-31 TIE AND WIN THE GAME AS TIME EXPIRED

100NUMBER OF PLACES BEHIND ROBERT GRIFFIN III THAT COUSINS WAS SELECTED IN THE 2012 NFL DRAFT

9131NUMBER OF PASSING YARDS COUSINS AMASSED IN A FOUR-YEAR SPELL UNDER CENTRE FOR THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS. HE IS CURRENTLY RIDING A STREAK OF THREE 4,000-YARD SEASONS IN THE NFL

84,000,000 VALUE IN DOLLARS OF COUSINS’ THREE-YEAR FULLY GUARANTEED CONTRACT WITH THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS. HE WILL HIT FREE AGENCY AGAIN IN 2021, AGED ONLY 32

3STAR RATING APPLIED TO COUSINS BY RIVALS AS HE LEFT HOLLAND CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL AS A THREE-SPORT ATHLETE FOR THE MAROONS

12COUSINS’ ORIGINAL SHIRT NUMBER AT WASHINGTON, WHICH HE ‘SOLD’ TO WIDE RECEIVER ANDRE ROBERTS FOR A DONATION OF $12,000 TO THE KIRK COUSINS FOOTBALL CAMP. COUSINS SWITCHED BACK TO THE #8 HE USED THROUGHOUT HIS HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CAREER

10CURRENT PRICE IN DOLLARS FOR AN ORIGINAL ‘YOU LIKE THAT’ T-SHIRT, IN THE BARGAIN BIN AT COUSINS’ OFFICIAL WEBSITE (RRP $29.99)

4NUMBER OF BIG 10 WINS FOR COUSINS OVER IN-STATE RIVAL MICHIGAN AS HE ENJOYED AN UNBEATEN RECORD AGAINST THE WOLVERINES

44

62 GRIDIRON

baker mayfield sam darnold lamar jackson

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