Do you know where plastic waste in the oceans is coming from?

The Ocean Cleanup suggests plastic pollution comes from more rivers in the world than previously thought.

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Grammy Awards scrap controversial voting committees

The anonymous committees had been accused of a lack of transparency and inclusivity in their choices.

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New on SI: NFL Draft 2021: Winners and Losers After Days 1 and 2

The Bears were shrewd, Tyrod Taylor has competition, the Rams have rough vibes and more on the first three rounds of the draft.

After all of the posturing before Round 1 of the NFL Draft about where the top five quarterbacks would go, it was freeing to go into night two talking mostly about safeties, running backs and offensive linemen. Round 1 might have

all the glitz and glamour, but Rounds 2 and 3 are the real meat of the NFL Draft, where teams’ preferences diverge, steals are to be had and pick announcements begin to be met with quizzical-but-polite applause from even the most fervent fans. Aside from the fact that we don’t know if Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love got a new receiver on Friday, here are our picks for the night’s winners and losers.

Winners

Dave Gettleman

What if I told you … Dave Gettleman traded down not once but twice in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft? And that he still was able to get a difference-making receiver in Round 1 and an edge rusher with first-round ability in Round 2? It’s a heck of a haul. Azeez Ojulari was an extremely productive rusher at Georgia—15 sacks in 23 games—and medical red flags may have contributed to his dropping out of Round 1. But Ojulari told reporters that there are no problems with the knee he tore in high school; he was also cleared by James Andrews. If that is the case, the Giants will have gotten a major steal at No. 50—while also picking up a 2022 third-rounder. Savvy, tendency-breaking performance for the Giants GM.

Yes, the Chicago Bears

The Bears did the opposite of the Giants, trading up in both Rounds 1 and 2, but both were sensible moves to land players that could change the team’s fortunes. After moving up for Justin Fields on Thursday night, Chicago traded up again to nab a big protector for their new QB: OT Teven Jenkins, who did not allow a sack in his last two seasons at Oklahoma State. Jenkins, who many expected to be taken in the first round, projects as a starting right tackle. GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy had to go for it in this year’s draft, and they did so shrewdly.

L.A. Chargers’ Draft Board

Not only was OT Rashawn Slater still available when the Chargers picked at No. 13, but on Friday night, CB Asante Samuel, Jr. fell to them at pick No. 47. Tackle and cornerback were the Chargers’ two biggest needs, and with each pick they got a player widely expected to be gone at that slot.

Sam Darnold

While his old team is giving its new quarterback the support Darnold never had, his new team is doing a lot for him, too. The Panthers used all of their Day 2 picks to support their QB, selecting WR Terrace Marshall, Jr., OT Brady Christensen and TE Tommy Tremble.

Dan Quinn

The Cowboys’ first four picks were, necessarily, all on defense, a boon for a new defensive coordinator. After taking LB Micah Parsons in the first round, Dallas added Kentucky CB Kelvin Joseph in Round 2, and UCLA DT Osa Odighizuwa and Iowa DE Chauncey Golston in Round 3.

Punctuality

For those of us (all of us) impatiently watching Kings of Leon perform a song from 13 years ago after the draft’s scheduled start time of 8 p.m. on Thursday, the lack of dawdling on Friday night was very pleasing.

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Losers

The Vibe in the Rams’ Malibu Draft Mansion

GM Les Snead isn’t there because of a positive COVID-19 test (get well soon), there’s a creepy portrait of Roger Goodell looming over Sean McVay and the first name they turned in, 149-pound WR Tutu Atwell, received a, shall we say, lukewarm reaction.

Tyrod Taylor

H/T to editor Mitch Goldich who pointed out that Tyrod Taylor, yet again, is with a team that used a high draft pick on a QB. It was not as high as No. 1 (Baker Mayfield) or No. 6 (Justin Herbert), but pick No. 67 was the highest draft pick the Texans had, which they used to take Stanford’s Davis Mills (read more on what this means from Conor Orr).

The Analytics Crowd

Specifically, those who can no longer poke fun at Gettleman. He traded down! Twice!

Old Millennials

For those of us clinging desperately to the fleeting sense of feeling young, the realization that the NFL now has players born in the 2000s, like Marshall (June 9, 2000) and Ojulari (June 16, 2000), was a tough blow.

Roger Goodell’s chair

The commissioner’s brown leather chair, from which he conducted last year’s pandemic draft in his basement, made a commemorative journey to Cleveland. But unlike the artifacts preserved behind glass panels in the nearby Halls of Fame, this chair was handled by dozens of fans, poised to absorb stray glitter from team logo necklaces or alcohol-laced body fluids (how else were fans expected to stay warm?). Orr is confident this is not actually Goodell’s real chair—on the off chance it is, it will not be for long.

Anyone Standing Outside in Cleveland

Weather in Cleveland in late April is a gamble. It could have been worse, but ideally Adam Schefter would not have had to cocoon in a blanket. 

More NFL Draft Coverage:
• Live Tracker: Pick-by-pick grades
• Orr: Is Urban Meyer ready for Trevor Lawrence?
• Orr: Drafting Trey Lance will define Kyle Shanahan's legacy
• Vrentas: The Patriots' post-Brady era begins now

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New on SI: Kene Nwangwu Is the NFL Draft Sleeper You Want

How “Little Dougie,” the skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses, blossomed into a big-play threat on the gridiron. And why, despite a limited role at Iowa State, he became a favorite of NFL scouts.

Kene Nwangwu doesn’t look nervous, although he probably should. The former Iowa State running back is standing in the kick return huddle on an October evening in Ames, ready to put his heels on the five-yard line and take the lead role in football’s most violent play. His Cyclones need a spark—a strip sack left them trailing No. 17 Oklahoma by a touchdown with under nine minutes to play.

“If you execute your job, I’m going to take this thing back,” he tells his teammates.

When he catches the end-over-end kick, he isn’t thinking about the cascade of tacklers charging toward him or the cracking collisions around him. He’s transported home, away from the drizzling rain and biting wind at Jack Trice Stadium, to the Dallas heat rising off a rubber track and his teammate sprinting around its curve with a baton.

Running what feels like the anchor leg of 4x100 meter relay, Nwangwu very nearly delivers on his promise to his teammates. He takes the kick and splits the 11 men hurtling at him, scampering down the left sideline before being run out of bounds at the Oklahoma eight-yard line and continuing his dead sprint back to his teammates in excitement. It was a play that changed the trajectory of Iowa State’s season—the Cyclones tied the game up two plays later, then Nwangwu’s younger contemporary Breece Hall finished off the win with a late touchdown run. The return launched Iowa State on a journey to their first ever Big 12 Championship Game. It was a play made possible by Nwangwu’s natural gifts and his manufactured ones, forged by an uncommon dedication to his craft.

Nwangwu won’t beg for your attention. While he’s not soft-spoken, he’s certainly not self-aggrandizing. His stats won’t catch your eye, although you wouldn’t say the same of his pro day numbers, particularly an alleged 4.29-second 40. He’s spoken with 13 teams on Zoom calls since his pro day, but he’s happy to let his tape do the talking.

After five years in Ames where he was primarily used as a return specialist, Nwangwu is ready to ply his skills at the next level. It’s not often a special teams star has any realistic NFL dreams. Then again, it’s not often a 6' 1", 210-pound man can outrun and outwork, well, just about everyone.

Kene is about seven years old. His family is at a picnic they host each year with dozens of friends and family from Nigeria. The large group gathers at a park in Richardson, Texas, eating and enjoying each other’s company. To keep the children entertained, the adults plan a competition between all the kids. This year, it’s a race.

Kene's parents, Jerome and Ogonna, are otherwise occupied while the 20 or so children bolt for the finish line. Afterward, a family friend approaches the couple. Kene had torched the rest of the field.

“Ogonna,” he says. “You have to put Kene in track or something. That boy is so fast.”

The roots of Nwangwu’s drive can be traced more than 6,500 miles and nearly 30 years back to Nigeria. Jerome and Ogonna grew up in Nnewi, a metropolitan area in the country’s southeast region, before moving to north Texas in the early 1990s. Nnewi is a city founded on industrial success, seeing exponential population growth over the last half-century.

“We are very well known in Nigeria,” says Ogonna.

Jerome and Ogonna instilled the values of hard work and discipline in their children from a young age. Even as they bounced around north Texas towns, going as far west as Abilene, Kene combined his natural intelligence (“It comes so easy to him” says Jerome) and a general desire for greatness to excel in school, well before he played his first minute of organized sports.

“The way my parents raised me was to always be the best at whatever I’m doing,” says Kene.

Kene attended three different elementary schools and two middle schools. Everywhere he went, his speed was his introduction. Whether it was kickball on the playground or pickup football after school, he wasn’t just the new kid. He was “the big, fast kid”.

When it was finally time to start organized football in seventh grade, coaches saw Kene as little more than a lanky teen with no previous experience. He landed on the “C” team. It didn’t take long for him to turn the gridiron into his lifelong proving grounds—the second snap of his first game, he took off for a long touchdown run, the first of his career. After just a few weeks, he was on the “C” team no longer.

His career at Frisco Heritage High School, however, began in the shadow of his older brother Emeka. Two years his brother’s senior, the eldest Nwangwu son was known around Heritage High as “Dougie” for his affinity for dancing; Nwangwu was then dubbed “Little Dougie”. As a junior, Emeka was growing into his 6' 4", 230-pound frame as a defensive end. He took his opportunities on the practice field to show freshman Kene who the older brother was.

“[Kene] could run, but he was a skinny little twig with Coke bottle glasses,” says former Heritage High coach Che Hendrix.

Nwangwu became a contributor on the varsity squad as a freshman, primarily learning the art of the return. That spring, he followed in his brother’s large footsteps and began running track. Hendrix remembers one spring evening when he looked out and saw Nwangwu practicing high jump on an otherwise empty track. He had already completed a sprint workout, a weight workout and a full track workout. He just wanted more.

That summer’s work began his transformation. Nwangwu kept growing, filling out his wiry frame. By the time he was a junior, Emeka a freshman hurdler at the University of Texas at Arlington, Little Dougie was little no more—Nwangwu looked the part of a star running back.

When asked for a highlight of Nwangwu’s high school career, the consensus settles on Nov. 14, 2014. Heritage was in the playoffs for the first time in school history. The wind whipped through Plano’s John Clark Stadium. Temperatures dipped below freezing. Hendrix decided the conditions were favorable to let Nwangwu bear the offensive load. The kid his coaches called “crazy legs” took it and ran with it.

Nwangwu finished with 380 yards and seven touchdowns that day, propelling the Coyotes to a thrilling 77-63 victory.

“We were just running power, and it was like watching a video game,” says Hendrix.

It’s the type of performance that made Nwangwu a Heritage High star, but it wasn’t enough for college coaches to come running with offers. Nwangwu’s senior year was marked with heavy interest from a variety of schools. He averaged more than eight yards per carry, all the while winning the state title in long jump and setting school records in the high jump, 100 meters and 200 meters.

But no Power Five university from his home state was willing to extend a scholarship, even as Nwangwu showed out on the field and in satellite camps. He decided to take a visit to Ames in November of his senior season to watch the Cyclones take on undefeated Oklahoma State. That’s all it took—Nwangwu was hooked. When Oganna picked him up from the airport after the weekend, he didn’t stop talking the entire car ride home.

“Mom, you should have been there,” Nwangwu told Ogonna. “They have the best fan base. The campus is so beautiful. I’m done. I’m going to Iowa State.”

Nwangwu arrived in Ames in 2016 as a three-star recruit, not expected to make an immediate impact but hopeful to prove himself once again. Again, it was his track-star speed and willingness to do whatever was asked of him that earned him valuable game time. He averaged more than 26 yards per kickoff return that year and earned several national honors for his special teams play. It was a solid start to a promising college career before everything changed that spring.

It’s a brisk February day in Ames. Fresh off a rebuilding 3–9 campaign in coach Matt Campbell’s first year, the Cyclones are holding an offseason workout, going through competitive drills designed to pit players one-on-one against those with similar skillsets. Nwangwu, a freshman, lines up next to former Iowa State All-American defensive back Brian Peavy and stares ahead—he’s to jump over a hurdle, then run immediately into a 10-yard sprint. Nwangwu skies over the hurdle, but his right leg ends up outside his frame. He lands hard on his heel and feels a pop. He tries to push off his right foot. He collapses.

It’s his achilles tendon. Oganna receives the call midday while she’s in the middle of a shift as a surgical nurse. She was on a plane to Ames that evening.

Nwangwu missed the entire 2017 season, spending the year in recovery. As he putzed around through the snow-laden Iowa State campus on a one-legged scooter, he gained more than just a respect for the ferocity of a central Iowa winter. Nwangwu earned perspective given only to those who take a step away, whether by choice or by force.

“It was just a different mindset that I had to think about,” he says. “Instead of looking forward to football games, I was looking forward to being able to walk again.”

Campbell and the Cyclones experienced a sharp turnaround that season, winning eight games and reaching as high as No. 14 on the AP Poll. Nwangwu itched to get back on the field to be a part of the winning culture. It was admittedly the hardest year of his life. But as he approached the end of his recovery, he realized all his absence meant was that his return would be that much sweeter.

When Iowa State running backs coach Nate Scheelhaase arrived in Ames before the 2018 season, he saw something different in Nwangwu. Then a redshirt sophomore, Nwangwu brought a different level of focus than most. He took pages of notes in the meeting rooms. He was a leader by example for a young group of running backs. Scheelhaase was impressed with everything he saw off the field.

Then, he saw Nwangwu run. Even after a ruptured achilles, the speedster hadn’t lost a step.

“You’re only around somebody with that power and that speed once or twice in your lifetime as a coach,” Scheelhaase says.

But his return never went quite by design. He backed up current Bears feature back David Montgomery in 2018, earning one start. He rushed for just 157 yards on the year. As a junior, he was expected to feature heavily in the Iowa State offense before electric freshman Breece Hall stole the show. Nwangwu was once again stuck behind a bona fide star. In the end, Nwangwu finished with 744 rushing yards and four touchdowns over four seasons.

But he reveled in his special teams role, finishing his career as a known return specialist. According to Scheelhaase, Nwangwu was a rare constant throughout the chaotic landscape of college football during a pandemic.

“You name the day and you ask, ‘Man, was Kene bringing it that day?’ And the answer would be yes, over and over again,” Scheelhaase says.

Nwangwu, a projected Day 3 draft pick, isn’t nervous about the draft. Excited? Yes. But true to form, he’s keeping a cool head in anticipation of hearing his name called. Maybe it’s because he’ll take the same level-headed approach wherever he lands. Maybe it’s because that approach extends to the rest of his life beyond football. The dedication to greatness he learned as a child means that being a pro isn’t the end goal; it’s a means to the end of generational wealth and financial independence.

Just over a week before the draft, he talks of owning his own business—a family car shop, where his younger brother, Adi, can be the head mechanic, Emeka can help run the finances, and the Nwangwu family auto shop will take shape.

Because Nwangwu didn’t hear his name called on Thursday or Friday, you might be tempted to pity him. Don’t. The kid who bounced around schools, who went underrecruited, who never was a feature back is used to proving himself. When he gets his chance, you can bet his scorching speed and tireless discipline will speak for itself.

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New on SI: The Texans' Drafting of Davis Mills Makes it Clear They Don't Expect Deshaun Watson Back

Houston has finally acknowledged what it wouldn't earlier in the offseason: The team needs a new long-term answer at quarterback.

There is an ocean of information—

not to mention formal legal proceedings—to wade through before we could even begin to talk responsibly about the idea of Deshaun Watson seeing an NFL field again.

His story has taken on an eerie quiet of late, as the football world has thankfully taken a break from reporting on the relentless wave of trade rumors that preceded the lawsuits of 22 women alleging sexual misconduct during massages over the last two years. Even the most hardheaded among us understand the idea that this must run its course before we return Watson’s primary context to a children’s game.

But with their first draft pick of the Nick Caserio era, the Texans seemed to signal what they thought the landscape might look like whenever we reach that point. By picking Davis Mills, a high-upside quarterback out of Stanford who was once the most sought-after recruit in the country, Houston admitted what we all thought a few months ago for very different reasons: Watson has played his last down of football in Houston, and perhaps in the NFL, for some time.

The first half of that statement was true back when he demanded a trade, even when Caserio and the new staff didn’t want to admit it. Back then, the phone was unplugged from the wall and the team treated Watson’s desires like the flailing of an emotional teenager. One day, it would pass and we would all move on, their public messaging seemed to say. It is all clearly true now, given that the NFL has acknowledged opening an investigation, and that a team so threadbare at every position on the roster decided to use its most significant morsel of draft capital on a quarterback.

A spin through Houston’s team needs heading into the draft was dizzying. Entire position groups will likely fail to reach the cumulative replacement-level threshold necessary for mediocre football. Outside of running back, where a platoon of late-career veterans swung by for a cash grab, the Texans will have a mountainous journey ahead of them to present a passable product in 2021.

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Mills, like Tyrod Taylor, did not sign up for this. The situation will be chaotic and ugly. For the better part of a year, they’ll be operating under the cloud of circumstances beyond their control, as the organization struggles to lift itself out of both a disastrous personnel hole of its own making, and a crisis at the position that has mushroom clouded into something beyond its control. 

As NFL Network noted during the broadcast, Mills did not have significant contact with the Texans throughout the process. He found out about their “interest” in him the moment most of the sentient football world did: late on Friday night when it was announced on TV. This isn’t subterfuge. This is grabbing a hold of the last sturdy object in the ground as the wind starts to pick up.

For the moment, this will be couched as pragmatism. Sure, if Watson’s situation suddenly clears and his grievances with the Texans magically subside, Mills remains a good player with high upside who can formidably back up a Pro Bowler and ably run Pep Hamilton’s offense. Pay no attention to what’s happening behind the curtain, because this is a move the Texans would have made regardless of the situation!

Of course, we all know that’s not the case. The team that has not come out and admitted, well, anything about their process (or lack thereof) to mollify Watson has said all it needed to say with the first chance it got to turn in a draft card. When the time is finally right to discuss the next phase of Watson’s football life, the hope in Houston is that the Texans will be in a place that doesn’t seem so chaotic, uncertain and wholly desperate as it does right now.

And maybe they’ll even have a blossoming young quarterback plucked out of the draft’s second-tier.

More NFL Draft Coverage:
• Live Tracker: Pick-by-pick grades
• Orr: Is Urban Meyer ready for Trevor Lawrence?
• Orr: Drafting Trey Lance will define Kyle Shanahan's legacy
• Vrentas: The Patriots' post-Brady era begins now

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New on SI: Texans Draft Davis Mills in Third Round With Uncertainty at QB

With uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson's future with Houston, the Texans used its first pick of the 2021 draft on Stanford QB Davis Mills.

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The Texans used its first pick of the 2021 NFL draft on Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third round. Houston's first and second round selections were dealt as part of the Laremy Tunsil trade back in 2019.

With Deshaun Watson's status uncertain, it's not surprising the Texans are adding to the QB room. Watson is facing 22 civil lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.

Prior to Watson's legal issues, he expressed his frustrations with team brass and reportedly asked to be traded.

Mills was the eighth quarterback selected in the first 67 draft picks in this year's draft, and the third passer selected on Day 2. 

The Norcross, Ga., native threw for 3,468 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions while averaging 7.9 yards per pass attempt in 11 starts in his college career.

Mills redshirted for the Cardinal in 2017 before backing up K.J. Costello in 2018. In his redshirt sophomore season in 2019, he made six starts and threw for more than 1,900 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In his final season at Stanford, Mills threw for 1,508 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 66.2% percent of his passes. The junior threw for seven touchdowns and three interceptions on the year.

Mills is the highest-drafted Stanford quarterback since former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was drafted No. 1 in the 2012 NFL draft. 

The Texans finished the 2020 season 4-12 and third in the AFC South behind the Titans and the Colts. 

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• 2021 NFL Draft Tracker
• The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now
• Bucs Select Florida QB Kyle Trask in Second Round
• Broncos Trade Up for North Carolina RB Javonte Williams 

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India's over-18s vaccination to start

The drive has begun to lag at a time when a second deadly wave is devastating the country.

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New on SI: Bucs Select Florida QB Kyle Trask With Second-Round Pick

Trask was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior at Florida and could potentially replace Tom Brady after the future Hall of Famer retires.

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Three months after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, the defending champs might have just nabbed their quarterback of the future.

The Buccaneers selected Florida quarterback Kyle Trask with the final pick of the second round, acquiring a potential replacement for 43-year-old Tom Brady.

Trask put together a banner senior season at Florida, throwing for 4,283 yards with 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the country in scoring passes. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth in the voting behind DeVonta Smith, Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones.

Florida coach Dan Mullen wished Trask well on Twitter, calling Trask "the true definition of perseverance and grit."

After five quarterbacks were selected in the top 15, none were taken until Trask's selection at pick No. 64. Trask will compete with Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin for the backup quarterback job behind Brady.

Brady will turn 44 in August and is set to begin his 22nd season in the NFL. Last year, he completed 65.7% of his passes for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He threw 10 touchdown passes in the playoffs, including three in the Super Bowl to win Super Bowl MVP honors for the fifth time in his career.

Brady is currently under contract with the Bucs through the 2022 season after signing a contract extension in March.

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• 2021 NFL Draft Tracker: Grades for Every Pick
• With Mac Jones Selection, the Patriots' Post-Tom Brady Era Begins Now
• Aaron Rodgers Wants Out, and Packers Have Only Themselves to Blame

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Covid: Australians could face jail or fines if they return from India

Australia makes it temporarily illegal to return from India, which is being ravaged by Covid-19.

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Florida plans to fine social media for banning politicians

The Florida bill proposes fines up to $250,000 per day for companies which violate the rules.

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Covid: Pakistan fears 'Impending doom' threatens Pakistan

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How a Nigerian mother fought to hold on to her child in Italy

A Nigerian woman in Italy nearly lost her son as the authorities questioned her parenting style.

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Alaska's first CSI takes on blood and burglaries in sub-zero weather

Shasta Pomeroy isn't only the first Fairbanks crime scene investigator, she's the first in the state.

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India is facing a severe shortage of vaccines amid a relentless second Covid wave. How did this happen?

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France says the tests were carried out in uninhabited areas but local residents beg to differ.

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New on SI: Broncos Trade Up to Steal North Carolina RB Javonte Williams at No. 35

Broncos trade their picks (40 and 114) for Falcons' pick 35 and 219, leap-frogging Miami to steal UNC's Javonte Williams.

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Broncos fans, meet your new running back—Javonte Williams. 

In an early second-round trade, Denver sent its No. 40 and 114 picks to the Falcons in exchange for their No. 35 and 219 picks. In doing so, the Broncos leap-frogged Miami to snag the North Carolina star, who the Dolphins were rumored to have their eyes set on. 

Williams had a breakout season in 2020 as he and teammate Michael Carter formed the top running back duo in the country. They set an NCAA record against the Hurricanes, rushing for a total of 544 rushing yards between them (236 for Williams, 308 for Carter).

Williams finished the season ranked third in the FBS with 19 rushing touchdowns and sixth with 1,140 rushing yard. Williams ended the season ninth in the FBS by averaging 7.3 yards on his 157 carries.

He's the third running back off of the board, following Najee Harris and Travis Etienne from the first round on Thursday. 

Williams fills a gap for the Broncos left by Phillip Lindsay, who signed with Houston during free agency. The franchise does still have Melvin Gordon, who rushed for 986 yards and nine touchdowns last season. 

More NFL Draft Coverage: 

• Vrentas: The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now
• Orr: Justin Fields Gives Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy a Second Chance They Desperately Needed
  
• Orr: Trevor Lawrence Is Officially a Jaguar; Is Urban Meyer Ready for This?
  

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Lawyers release a photo of the British socialite with what looks like bruising under her left eye.

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New on SI: Steelers Draft Pick Najee Harris Hosts Draft Party at Homeless Shelter Where He Used to Live

Najee Harris, who was drafted at No. 24 by the Steelers, threw a draft party for kids at the homeless shelter where he lived for several years growing up.

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A few hours before the start of the 2021 NFL draft, former Alabama star Najee Harris visited a homeless shelter, Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP), as they hosted a draft watch party in his honor. 

It was a homecoming of sorts for the Steelers' No. 24 pick, as Harris, his four siblings and his parents lived in that shelter for several years growing up. 

"Just to see him as a grown man with this kind of opportunity for him today and to know that he lived in this shelter among many other places their family had to move around and lives as a homeless man just speaks to [the thought that] anything is possible," Kathleen Sullivan, executive director of the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, told ABC 7 News. 

Harris wasn't just there to say hello, though. He also brought food for the current residents. He told reporters, "There was a time I needed a helping hand. They gave us an opportunity to get back on our feet. So it is my job to give back,"

Returning brought back a lot of stirring memories for Harris and his family. He was in middle school when they stayed at GRIP before his family moved to Antioch.

"It was really emotional for my mom," Harris said. "Almost as if she was crying, in a way, because we have a lot of memories here. That was a time in my life when it was really low."

Harris went on to be one of Alabama's most explosive players, rushing for 1,224 yards and averaging 5.9 yards a carry as a junior in 2019. Despite looking NFL ready, he returned to the Crimson Tide as they battled for another national championship. He went on to win the Doak Walker Award as the country’s top back last season, rushing for 1,466 yards. 

More NFL Draft Coverage: 

• Trevor Lawrence Is Officially a Jaguar; Is Urban Meyer Ready for This?
• Drafting Trey Lance Will Define Kyle Shanahan's Legacy
• It's Time for the Packers to Give Aaron Rodgers What He Wants

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New on SI: Jets Trade Up to No. 14, Select OT Alijah Vera-Tucker

The Jets added a second pick in the top 15 as they traded with the Vikings on Thursday night.

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The Jets made a move to protect new quarterback Zach Wilson as they traded up to the No. 14 pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday. 

New York selected USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker with the No. 14 pick. It sent Minnesota pick Nos. 23, 66, 86 in the deal in order to receive Vera-Tucker and pick No. 143. 

Vera-Tucker played two seasons at USC, earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2020. He is New York's second first-round pick on Thursday after the Jets drafted Wilson at No. 2. 

New York has missed the postseason in each of the last 10 seasons. It finished last in the AFC East in 2020 at 2–14. 

More NFL Coverage:

• Trevor Lawrence Is Officially a Jaguar; Is Urban Meyer Ready for This?
• Drafting Trey Lance Will Define Kyle Shanahan's Legacy
• It's Time for the Packers to Give Aaron Rodgers What He Wants

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New on SI: Patriots Select Mac Jones With No. 15 Pick in 2021 NFL Draft

After leading Alabama past Ohio State to the national championship, quarterback Mac Jones is headed to Foxborough in 2021.

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In the span of three months, Mac Jones has gone from winning the national championship during a global pandemic to being selected by the Patriots as the No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. 

The 22-year-old, a redshirt junior who was a 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist, still had two seasons of eligibility left given the additional year that the NCAA added across all college athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions and a 77.4 completion percentage.

During the national championship in January, Jones tallied 464 passing yards and five touchdowns, shredding the Buckeyes' defense in a 52-24 victory.

Forde: The Brilliance of Nick Saban Continues to Evolve

Although the Patriots spent a substantial amount during free agency, they were quick to pick Jones at their first chance. The franchise finished 7-9 last season with quarterback Cam Newton at the helm after losing Tom Brady to Tampa Bay. 

Jones's name consistently remained in the top five during draft conversations. On Wednesday, San Francisco had reportedly narrowed its decision to the Alabama quarterback, Ohio State's Justin Fields or North Dakota State's Trey Lance, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"As much as the 49ers love Mac Jones, and they do, I believe that the gap between Mac Jones and the other QBs like Trey Lance has been narrowed considerably," Schefter said Wednesday. "I can tell you over the weekend they did not know who they were going to take."

More NFL Draft Coverage: 

• Rosenberg: The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence
• Kahler: Who Is Prospect X? The Search for the 2021 NFL Draft’s Deepest Sleeper
• Rosenberg: Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line

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New on SI: Bears Trade With Giants, Draft Justin Fields

Chicago traded up nine picks to draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

The Bears and Giants agreed on an in-draft trade that gave Chicago the 11th overall pick in exchange for the 20th and 164th pick in 2021 and a first and fourth round pick in 2022. Chicago used the 11th pick to draft their quarterback of the future with the selection of Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears already have veteran passers Andy Dalton and Nick Foles on their roster and thus we could see a quarterback battle for the starting job in Training Camp.

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New on SI: Bears Trade Up, Take Justin Fields at No. 11 in 2021 NFL Draft

Justin Fields is headed to Chicago in 2021 after leading Ohio State to the College Football Playoff during his two seasons.

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Coming into this year's draft, the expectation was the Bears would take a quarterback at some point, if not in the first round then sometime over the weekend. Instead, Chicago couldn't wait that long.

The Bears traded up from pick No. 20 to No. 11, then selected Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields as the franchise's next quarterback.

In the deal, Chicago received the 11th pick in this year's draft, and sent the No. 20 pick to the Giants, along with a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick for 2021.

The 22-year-old heads to the NFL after beginning his college career at Georgia in 2018 before transferring to Ohio State in 2019. Fields starred in his two years with the Buckeyes, throwing for 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions over 22 games while completing 64.8% of his pass attempts. 

The quarterback led Ohio State to the College Football Playoff each season, with the Buckeyes falling to Alabama in last season's national title game.

The Bears last took a quarterback in the first round in 2017, when they traded up to tack Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick. Chicago infamously chose Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. 

Trubisky struggled to kick-start the Bears' offense and signed a one-year deal with the Bills this offseason to back up Josh Allen. The Bears signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton this offseason on a one-year contract.

Fields's draft stock was all over the board, his projection remaining in the top three until the final days leading up to the 2021 NFL draft. He had been a longtime favorite of the 49ers before reports surfaced that the franchise was more interested in Alabama's Mac Jones and North Dakota State's Trey Lance.

Last week, Fields reportedly informed teams that he is managing epilepsy. He was diagnosed with the neurological disorder as a child and has seen his symptoms get shorter and more infrequent over time, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelisserro. 

NFL Network reported that the disorder, which does cause seizures, has not impacted Fields's football career, and doctors expect him to outgrow it. He does take medication for the diagnosis.

Fields is not the first NFL player to manage an epilepsy diagnosis, including Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca, who took medication to control seizures throughout his career. 

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• 2021 NFL Draft Tracker
• Prewitt: What Happens to the Prospects Who Opted Out?
• Orr: Is Urban Meyer Ready for the Trevor Lawrence Ride?
• Kahler: Who Is Prospect X? The Search for the 2021 NFL Draft’s Deepest Sleeper

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New on SI: Eagles Draft Heisman Trophy Winner Devonta Smith

Philadelphia added an electric playmaker to their offense with the selection of Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith.

The Eagles and Cowboys made a rare in-draft trade between division rivals which gave Philadelphia the tenth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Eagles used that pick to draft Alabama wide receiver and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith. The Eagles also used their first round pick on a wide receiver in 2020 with the selection of Jalen Reagor.

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New on SI: Eagles Acquire No. 10 Pick in Trade With Cowboys, Draft DeVonta Smith

The Eagles snagged one of the draft's top receivers after a trade with Dallas on Thursday night.

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Last year's Heisman Trophy winner has found a new home. The Eagles have selected Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith with the No. 10 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Smith was the third receiver taken in the first round, following Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle. The dynamic playmaker put together a historic senior season in Tuscaloosa, leading the country in catches (117), receiving yards (1,856) and receiving touchdowns (23) to become the first wide receiver in 29 years to win the Heisman Trophy.

Smith saved his best for last, hauling in 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns against Ohio State in the national championship game, which Alabama won, 52-24.

For his career, Smith totaled nearly 4,000 receiving yards and 48 total touchdowns. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017 when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime of Alabama's national championship game win over Georgia.

The Eagles traded up to the No. 10 slot to acquire Smith on Thursday. They sent Dallas the No. 12 and No. 84 picks in the 2021 draft in order to move up two slots.

Despite his record-breaking season, questions about Smith's ability to play at the next level lingered during the pre-draft process, largely due to his small frame. Smith measured at 6'1" and 170 pounds, though Alabama coach Nick Saban was adamant that Smith's small stature will not prevent him from being successful in the NFL.

"Tell me how many receivers are tougher than he is—that block better, that play more physical than he does—so I think maybe there's a time when you say 'This guy really overcomes the fact that he's not the biggest guy in the world and he really plays this game really, really well,'" Saban said in March. "I don't think anybody can argue that fact."

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• Rosenberg: The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence
• Kahler: Who Is Prospect X? The Search for the 2021 NFL Draft’s Deepest Sleeper
• Rosenberg: Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line

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New on SI: Dolphins Select Jaylen Waddle With No. 6 Pick in 2021 NFL Draft

After winning the national championship at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle is now heading to the NFL.

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Jaylen Waddle went from suffering a presumed season-ending ankle injury to winning the national championship last season. 

He's now headed to the NFL after the Dolphins selected the wide receiver at No. 6 in the 2021 NFL draft. 

Waddle started the 2020 college season with a bang at Alabama last fall, topping 120 receiving yards in four consecutive games to start the season. He tallied 557 yards on 25 catches, adding with four touchdowns during the stretch.

Waddle missed six games after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Tennessee. He returned to the field in before suiting up for the national title game. While visibly limping at times, the wideout hauled in three catches for 34 yards.

"My hat's off to him," head coach Nick Saban said when Waddled declared for the draft. "I had the same injury, so I know the difficulties coming back from that. You're healed but your ankle is so stiff, it's difficult to sort of get the flexibility and the flexion back so you can explode like you want to, especially when you drop your weight on that foot, which comes when you're slowing down, trying to make a cut.

"I have a lot of respect for Jaylen Waddle. His mental toughness and his ability to be able to come back."

During his three-year career with the Crimson Tide, Waddle tallied 106 receptions for 1,999 yards, averaging over 18 yards per catch. He totaled 17 touchdowns, plus three special teams scores.

Waddle is the second straight top-10 pick by the Dolphins out of Alabama. Miami selected quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft.

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• Rosenberg: The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence
• Kahler: Who Is Prospect X? The Search for the 2021 NFL Draft’s Deepest Sleeper
• Rosenberg: Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line

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New on SI: Falcons Add To Explosive Offense, Draft Kyle Pitts

Atlanta’s offense is coming in hot for 2021 with the additional of superstar tight end Kyle Pitts.

The Falcons selected Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the 4th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. With Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, Atlanta’s offense is already loaded with pass catching talent and now quarterback Matt Ryan has another weapon to target. Pitts is widely considered one of the best tight end talents to enter the NFL since Tony Gonzalez and becomes the highest drafted tight end since 1960.

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New on SI: Drafting Trey Lance Will Define Kyle Shanahan's Legacy

Shanahan's development of the North Dakota State prospect will turn the conversation away from his Super Bowl letdowns.

Kyle Shanahan’s ascent to infallible NFL mind has more closely resembled the various clanks and twangs a metal ball encounters as it arches its way through the chute of a pinball machine toward the blinking lights at the top of the glass.

His performance as the offensive coordinator in

the Falcons’ record-setting blown 28–3 lead in Super Bowl LI raised questions about his feel for big moments. His performance as the 49ers’ head coach and offensive play-caller in Super Bowl LIV, another double-digit blown lead, was another thwack against the side of the wall. He is a man of contradictions. On one hand, he has developed the offense run by almost a quarter of the NFL. Coordinators from his tree, or those simply smart enough to buy the starter kit on EXOS and imitate it from scratch, are getting hired at a feverish pace. On the other hand, he is 29–35 as an NFL head coach, with just one winning season in four years.

A person of sound mind could argue that his one winning season, which ended in the 49ers’ loss to the Chiefs down in Miami, was due in large part to the 49ers’ defense (second in DVOA) and less the offense he oversaw (seventh in DVOA). Injuries, in addition to some notable big-game performance lapses at the quarterback position, almost certainly played a factor as well.

And yet, there is something undeniable about his acumen, which makes San Francisco’s selection of Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night all the more fascinating. For years we have often chastised players for not living up to their draft position, as if they chose the arbitrary number and extraneous pressure themselves. But this pick, for better or worse, will be more of a direct reflection on Shanahan himself.

Of the possible options (Lance, Mac Jones and Justin Fields among them), Lance is especially polarizing. He threw the fewest attempts out of any of the top quarterbacks available. He played just one game last season. One could view it as Shanahan’s ultimate vote of confidence in himself.

Above the missteps in Super Bowl LI and the unevenness of the last four years, this draft pick could be the defining moment of Shanahan’s early legacy—the buoy that keeps his boy genius reputation afloat, or the heavy metal ball that finally slips off the table’s edge.

Throughout the draft process, we have been subject to the performative ballet of a sage football mind. Admittedly, there was something brilliant about cloaking this decision for as long as the 49ers did. It kept us all guessing, sure. It probably annoyed some of their opponents and the rest of the league, all of whom were possibly looking to lock in trades behind the 49ers to grab whomever they did not. Among the better-leaked tidbits were quarterbacks other than Mac Jones working with Shanahan’s friend and former pupil John Beck, as if they were all being privately vetted for a White House cabinet position.

Now, though, Shanahan has made a concrete decision. The creator of the offense has decided on the avatar who will run his system. Soon, faults cannot be blamed on youth or inexperience or injury. Soon, there will need to be a return on all of the fawning equity that has been placed on the head coach, who strolled into his first job with a contract nearly twice as long as the average coaching life cycle itself.

Much of it is deserved. Shanahan’s talent is undeniable. The way in which he’s turned the draft into a ready-made factory of receiving threats who continue to diversify his offense. The way in which he seems to scoop up a handful of running backs out of the heap and turn them into monstrous downhill threats. With the right quarterback, this team is designed to be good for a very long time. It didn’t waste long identifying the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo was not the right quarterback.

But as coaches will tell you, the minute you make this kind of move—the minute you sacrifice capital and pour your heart and brain out for everyone to see—that’s the moment the clock really starts on what will always be thought of you, and whether the rest of the journey continues to resemble the bumpy ride through the pinball machine.

More NFL Draft Coverage:
• 2021 Live NFL Draft Tracker
• Rosenberg: Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line
• Orr: Is Urban Meyer Ready for the Trevor Lawrence Ride?
• Orr: Jets Hope Zach Wilson Breaks Cycle of QB Dysfunction

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New on SI: Ja’Marr Chase Heads to Bengals After Being Drafted No. 5

Ja'Marr Chase hasn't played since early 2020 after helping LSU win a national title and setting multiple records along the way.

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Bengals fans, meet Ja'Marr Chase—the No. 5 overall pick.

Although he opted out of the 2020 season, the LSU wide receiver had little to prove after winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver in 2019 and helping the Tigers win the national championship that season. Chase tallied nine receptions, 221 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Clemson.

By the end of the season, he set SEC records and led the FBS with 1,780 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns in 14 starts.

Dellenger: LSU Exorcises Its Past to Cap Program Reawakening With Historic Title

As a true freshman in 2018, Chase totaled 23 receptions, 313 yards and three touchdowns while starting seven of 13 games.

The move reunites Chase with his college quarterback, Joe Burrow. The pair helped lead LSU to an undefeated national championship season in 2019. Chase caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging over 21 yards per catch and winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best wide receiver.

Chase will team with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd to provide Burrow with a bevy of weapons on the perimeter. In 10 games, Burrow completed 65.3% of his passes for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.

As rumors floated throughout the offseason that the Bengals had their eyes set on Chase, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday that the Lions tried to trade up to No. 4 to land Chase. 

“There was chatter early in the week that the Lions tried to trade up to No. 4 to get Chase, but the Falcons’ asking price was too high,” Fowler wrote.

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• Rosenberg: The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence
• Kahler: Who Is Prospect X? The Search for the 2021 NFL Draft’s Deepest Sleeper
• Rosenberg: Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line

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New on SI: 49ers Take Trey Lance with 3rd Pick in 2021 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the Dolphins to get the 3rd overall pick and used it to grab North Dakota’s Trey Lance.

The 49ers selected North Dakota State QB Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Roughly a month before the Draft, the 49ers and Dolphins announced a blockbuster trade that included swapping their first round picks in 2021 and San Francisco giving Miami their first round picks in 2022 and 2023, plus additional third round picks. Some rumors indicated the 49ers would take Alabama’s Mac Jones but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated Lance was getting a lot of hype from the 49ers scouts and team personnel. With Jimmy Garoppolo still on the roster, it’s unclear if Lance will start as a rookie.

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New on SI: Kyle Pitts Heads to Atlanta After Being Drafted No. 4

Pitts was the first tight end to be named a Fred Biletnikoff award (top WR) finalist after catching 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

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Falcons fans, meet your new tight end—Kyle Pitts. 

The 20-year-old, who played for the University of Florida, was selected No. 4 overall and is now the highest tight end ever drafted. Pitts was named a first-team All-American and won the John Mackey Award as the most outstanding tight end in college football this past season.

He is the first tight end to go in the top five in 49 years (ex-Broncos Pro Bowler Riley Odoms went fifth in 1972). Only four tight ends (Vernon Davis in 2006, Eric Ebron in 2010, T.J. Hockenson in 2019 and Kellen Winslow in 2004) have gone in the top 10 over the last 24 drafts. 

Pitts was also the first tight end to be named a Fred Biletnikoff award (top wide receiver) finalist after catching 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns—tied for third-most in the FBS—in eight starts.

He's a dual-threat as a pass-catching tight end, and with being 6'6" and 245 pounds, Pitts can be a difficult matchup for linebackers and often too big against cornerbacks. 

Like several of the other draft prospects, Pitts is one of the first players to join the league who was born in 2000. Trey Lance was the first player to be drafted born at the beginning of the millennium. 

The Falcons went 4-12 last season, and head coach Arthur Smith will likely use Pitts all over the field. 

More NFL Draft Coverage: 

• Rosenberg: The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence
• Bishop: Trey Lance Is Just Different
• Kahler: The Search for 2021's Prospect X
• Breer: NFL Draft 2021: Last-Minute Draft Day News and Rumors

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New on SI: 49ers Select Trey Lance With No. 3 Pick

Trey Lance is San Francisco's signal-caller of the future after being selected with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night.

The 49ers selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday.

Lance shined in his lone season as a starter in 2019. He threw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns, adding 14 scores on the ground. Lance did not record an interception in any of his 16 starts. 

San Francisco's new signal-caller did appear in one exhibition game in October 2020. He threw for 149 yards in a 39-28 win over Central Arkansas. 

San Francisco adds Lance after finishing last in the NFC West at 6–10 in 2020. The 49ers

traded up to the No. 3 pick in March in a deal with the Dolphins. San Francisco was expected to select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones for much of the last month, but Lance entered the conversation in recent days. 

The 49ers did not tell their coaches or scouts who they would pick before the selection was announced, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Lance is the third quarterback off the board on Thursday night. Trevor Lawrence went to Jacksonville with the No. 1 pick before the Jets took Zach Wilson at No. 2.

More NFL Coverage

• Trey Lance Is Just Different
• Time for the Packers to Give Rodgers What He Wants
• Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line

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Emergency services confirm dozens have been killed and many more wounded in north-east Israel.

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New on SI: Jets, Again, Hope Zach Wilson Will Break Cycle of QB Dysfunction

The Jets are perpetually searching for their franchise quarterback, but their latest rookie will have an infrastructure past Jets QBs haven't.

We’re only three years removed from

the last time we went through this exercise, the one where we pretended the Jets’ acquisition of a quarterback was different this time. How it was, finally, an exercise in competence. How they won’t ruin this one like they did the last hundred. So forgive anyone who follows this team if they meet tonight with either the feigned interest of someone who has been beaten down over time, or the complete opposite: the beautiful, optimistic amnesia that a follower of this organization tends to acquire.

But here’s why Zach Wilson will actually, really, truly be different this time. He is joining an organization in arguably the healthiest place it’s been in for years. There is a general manager who hired a head coach. There is a competent offensive coordinator running the most quarterback-friendly system in the league. There are pillars in place to prevent the entire thing from collapsing, regardless of how long it might take for Wilson to develop.

Leave it to the Jets to wait until the age of nomadic quarterback movement to finally find the recipe for stability. Wilson and, by extension, any quarterback who the Jets take from here to eternity, may never get the chance to replace the Joe Namath-sized hole left in people’s hearts. But he can make them a passable franchise again. He can hoist them to something truly rarified: (somewhat) sustained relevance.

When Mark Sanchez was drafted, the team vacillated between irresponsible coddling and naked indifference. They loaded him up with mercurial wide receivers, completely ignorant of the chemistry Molotov cocktail they were creating and plastered him all over town as if he were the next Namath.

With Geno Smith, it was almost the opposite. From the moment he arrived, it was almost as if the organization was doing him a favor. Brief glimpses of talent and personality were quickly shuttered amid the administrative chaos plaguing the team. They offered more support to the sixth-round pick who uppercut him in the locker room.

With Sam Darnold, the offense was never prepared to support him. There were moments, quite literally, during his rookie year when the game plan featured various checks and calls that meant two different things. He made some brilliant throws in games despite the fact that some aspects of the game plan were irreparably broken. He got mono. He was tossed behind a paper-thin offensive line. He was beat up and had no one to throw to.

The promise of Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh and, by extension, Mike LaFleur, is that there is a general, harmonious competence with it all. Yes, LaFleur may not be his brother, Packers head coach Matt. He may not be Kyle Shanahan. But he has a deep understanding of the system, which gifts quarterbacks the kind of time and space to make correct decisions. It points them in that direction at the snap. This is the system that momentarily made the Mike Pettine Browns relevant. This is the system that rescued Ryan Tannehill’s career. That brought the Falcons to the Super Bowl. That was behind two straight 13–3 Packers seasons.

While the NFL is cyclical, there are few things that have been tested as rigorously.

The Weak-Side Podcast now has its own feed! Subscribe to listen to Conor Orr and Jenny every week. 

There is a quiet desperation to this pick, though one that has little to do with Wilson proving the Jets right. Surely, if he does not succeed, there will be endless speculation as to whether the franchise should have dealt the No. 2 pick and used a bounty of selections in a far deeper 2022 draft to retool.

Instead, this is about the Jets finally proving their competence. Because, in the age where quarterbacks are no longer afraid to pack up and brawl their way out of town, who wants to play for a team that has no track record of development or success? Who willingly signs up for bad health?

Wilson being the first would mean more than just immediate success. It would mean an end to a twisted cycle years in the making.

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New on SI: Is Trevor Lawrence a Generational Quarterback?

The Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in what was the worst kept secret for the 2021 NFL Draft.

In the least shocking selection of the entire NFL Draft, the Jaguars selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. Lawrence had a terrific career playing in the ACC while leading Clemson to a National Championship in 2019. Lawrence was the consensus best quarterback in this draft class and will now play for Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. But is Lawrence a generational quarterback? NFL Draft Bible’s Ric Serritella and NFL Scout Russ Lande weigh in on how Lawrence stacks up compared to other 1st overall quarterback selections.

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New on SI: Jets Select Zach Wilson With No. 2 Pick in 2021 NFL Draft

After stunning NFL scouts and Trevor Lawrence at his Pro Day, BYU's Zach Wilson is headed to New York in 2021.

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After stunning Trevor Lawrence and NFL scouts at his Pro Day last month, BYU's Zach Wilson is headed to New York in 2021.

The Jets selected Wilson as the No. 2 pick during the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday evening. Wilson is the second quarterback off the board after Lawrence was drafted by the Jaguars with the No. 1 pick.

Wilson had a breakout year last season, ranking second in the FBS in completion percentage. He tossed 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions, and finished No. 10 in the FBS with a 307.7 passing yards per game. Wilson also rushed for 10 touchdowns in 12 starts for the 11–1 Cougars in 2020.

Wilson completed 62% of his passes in 2019. He threw for 2,382 yards and eleven touchdowns.

FanNation: Zach Wilson Fantasy Football Rookie Profile

The Jets finished last in the AFC East in 2020 at 2–14. They traded Sam Darnold to the Panthers in early April, three years after drafting him with the No. 3 pick.

Wilson has a gunslinger mindset, possessing the arm talent to create explosive plays inside and out of the pocket. His strength was on full display during his Pro Day, where every NFL team was present except for the Rams. He threw multiple off-balance passes that went 50 yards.

"The goal today was to kind of show what makes me different, the type of throws I can make that I feel like other guys don't practice and don't try to do," Wilson said afterward on a Zoom call. "That was the goal—to show what makes me different."

More NFL Draft Coverage: 

• Breer: 2021 NFL Mock Draft 4.0: 49ers Pick Mac Jones; Bengals Take Ja'Marr Chase
• Panthers Trade Teddy Bridgewater to Broncos For Sixth-Round Pick
• Rosenberg: The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence

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New on SI: Trevor Lawrence Is Officially a Jaguar; Is Urban Meyer Ready for This?

The college coaching legend only jumped to the NFL for the top quarterback prospect in decades. Now the pressure is really on.

There will be fairytales written in the coming days about Trevor Lawrence and

the Jaguars’ courtship of Urban Meyer once it became clear that the safest quarterback selection in four decades was headed to northern Florida. How they are on the same wavelength. How they mutually admired one another. How the coach understands the way to maximize an unreasonable amount of potential.

Left out, at least for now, is a question that we should all be asking of Meyer in general as he embarks upon a moment that will forever alter his legacy for better or worse: Why on earth would he sign up for this?

The same might be asked of Lawrence who, just a few weeks ago, admitted that he hoped to have a life beyond football one day and was shredded by the game’s old guard for a perceived indifference. This league is a machine that swallows talent whole and spits it out for no good reason. And Lawrence has a bigger target on his back than any player who has crossed the threshold from college to the NFL since John Elway.

Behind it all is Meyer, who left the cozy life of a broadcaster to prove that he could do something almost no other coach has done successfully—take the secret sauce that made him a successful coach at a different level, with a completely different set of rules and parameters, and apply that trade to a league that is wary of any NCAA intrusion and takes a deep pleasure in fending off anyone giving it a try.

With Lawrence, everything is magnified. The pressure to build a staff is greater. The pressure to construct a complementary roster is greater. The pressure to turn this into a Super Bowl is much, much greater. Most of it rests on the shoulders of a man in his mid-50s, who has left various jobs for health reasons, succeeding at the highest level while also paying a deep personal cost.

In that way, coaches are a rare breed. The lot of us would be content to ride out the circuit, accept a life’s worth of free drinks in every college town in the country and gloat about the three national championship rings—the kinds of things people couldn’t take away from you if you were fully and completely retired.

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Instead, he is signing up for something that is nearly impossible. He is trying to align his flawless (on field, not off) college pedigree with a quarterback pegged to rewrite record books since the moment he stepped on a high school football field as a lanky, marketable blonde and started lighting defenses up.

In that way, it’s truly a fairytale. In the NFL, you cannot simply outwork fellow coaches and succeed. You cannot simply outgrease them. Outscheme them. Outwit them. There has to be a complete and total immersion and understanding of the way things work, and a willingness to bend and twist it at every turn to your advantage. In order for Lawrence and Meyer to meet our outsized expectations, we will truly have to see something from the coaching profession we have never witnessed before: a complete metamorphosis late in someone’s life, leading to something that 31 other crazed, trophy-hunting coaches haven’t thought of yet.

Because that’s the expectation, right? Super Bowls. Pro Bowls. Big things. Fairytales. And that’s what we’ll get until the moment Meyer has to toe the sideline and prove that it’s all possible. 

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New on SI: Jaguars Select Trevor Lawrence No. 1 in 2021 NFL Draft

Lawrence finished his college career with the most wins by a quarterback in Clemson history.

The

Jaguars selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

The Cartersville, Ga., native will travel nearly six hours to his NFL home in Jacksonville. He joins Jaguars first-year coach Urban Meyer, who never shied away from his interest in the quarterback from day one.

When asked by NBC Sports' Peter King last month whether there was any mystery about Jacksonville's selecting Lawrence first, Meyer said, "I’d have to say that’s the direction we’re going. I’ll leave that up to the owner when we make that decision official. But I’m certainly not stepping out of line that that’s certainly the direction we’re headed.”

Lawrence entered the draft as the presumptive top pick, having excelled at Clemson, finishing his college career with the most wins by a quarterback in Clemson history (34), passing Rodney Williams, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson. 

He won the national championship in 2019 and played again in the title game the following year in Clemson's loss to LSU. In his final college season, Lawrence led the Tigers to a 10-2 record, and a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.

Overall, Lawrence's winning percentage (.944) was the third-best as a starting quarterback with at least 30 starts since the Division I split in 1978.

The Unrivaled Arrival of Trevor Lawrence

Jacksonville has not recorded a winning season since 2017 when the team finished 10-6 and lost to the Patriots in the 2018 AFC championship game. Jacksonville has compiled a 12-36 record since the 2017 season.

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• Trevor Lawrence Responds to Critics, Says He Doesn't Need Football to Feel Worthy
• Trevor Lawrence Becomes First QB Since Cam Newton to Sign With Gatorade
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New on SI: Drama Starts With 3rd Pick in 2021 NFL Draft

With Trevor Lawerence locked in as the No. 1 selection and Zach Wilson going to the Jets with the second pick, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says the focus is on the third pick.

The 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to jump to the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson likely off the board by the time San Francisco picks, the question becomes which quarterback will they select. It seems they have narrowed down their choices to Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer weighs in on the latest rumors out of San Francisco.

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New on SI: NFL Draft Prospects Sport Show-Stopping Fits on Red Carpet

Zach Wilson sported an Armani suit while Trey Lance was iced-out with a Cartier timepiece. But Kwity Paye stole the show with honoring Chadwick Boseman.

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Move over Oscars, you may have just met your match. 

The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic didn't keep the 2021 NFL draft prospects from pulling out all of the stops as they sports show-stopping fits on the red carpet. 

Former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson was seen wearing a Giorgio Armani suit while Florida's Kyle Pitts wore an all-green suit with cognac colored patches on his elbows. North Dakota State's Trey Lance was iced-out with a Cartier timepiece, and Alabama's Patrick Surtain II had a “PS2” chain made for him by Leo Frost.  

Others were more sentimental in their approach. 

Kwity Paye told GQ's Tyler R. Tynes earlier Thursday that Chadwick Boseman is his hero, and the ex-Michigan defensive end honored the first Black superhero in his suit. In fact, it was made by former Packers player Adonis Jennings.

Here's a round-up of the show-stopping looks from some of college football's finest players. Who had the best fit?

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New on SI: What's a Better Move For the Patriots: Jimmy G or a Rookie QB?

What's a Better Move For the Patriots: Jimmy G or a Rookie QB?

The New England Patriots have been one of the stories of the offseason and that continues leading up to the NFL Draft with speculation rampant about whether they will trade for Jimmy Garoppolo or move up to take a rookie quarterback.

So, which would be a better move: Jimmy G or a rookie QB?
Sports Illustrated host Robin Lundberg discussed with SI fantasy and gambling analyst Bill Enright.

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New on SI: Trey Lance Talks NFL Draft, the 49ers Rumors and Hobbies Outside of Football

Where Trey Lance out of North Dakota State is selected is one of the biggest stories of the NFL Draft. Sports Illustrated host Robin Lundberg got a chance to talk with Lance about why he feels he will be the best quarterback taken in this class and why it doesn't matter to him which team he is drafted by.

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New on SI: Albert Breer's Special NFL Draft Mailbag

You had questions about the NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer had answers. Check out a special video mailbag where Albert Breer tackles all the biggest questions heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.

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New on SI: Daily Cover: Tom Brady and the Fraternity of Pick No. 199

A journeyman lineman, a small-school record-setter, a receiver-turned running back, and a career cut short due to a heart condition. They’re all with Tom Brady, in the Fraternity of pick No. 199. Sports Illustrated's Robin Lundberg spoke with Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop about the various paths of players picked at No. 199 in the NFL Draft.

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New on SI: NFL Rumors: 49ers Won't Deal Garoppolo Unless Return Value 'Overwhelms'

The 49ers are widely expected to take a quarterback with the third pick in Thursday's 2021 NFL draft putting Jimmy Garoppolo's future with the team in doubt.

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The 49ers are widely expected to take a quarterback with the third pick in Thursday's 2021 NFL draft, though, who exactly their selection will be remains in question. 

Whoever they take, however, will likely still enter next season in the same quarterback room with current starter Jimmy Garoppolo. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the team has no plans to trade Garoppolo prior to the draft unless the value "overwhelms them." According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, multiple teams are expected to contact San Francisco on Thursday about the availability of Garoppolo, but as of Thursday morning, the chance of him being traded are "remote," in the words of one of Schefter's sources.

2021 NFL Mock Draft 5.0: Six First-Round Quarterbacks; Three Projected Trades

When asked earlier this week if Garoppolo would be on the team's roster following the draft, head coach Kyle Shanahan took a dark turn. 

"I can't guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive Sunday, so I can't guarantee who will be on our roster on Sunday," he said. "So that goes for all of us."

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said Thursday that among the teams who could contact San Francisco, the Patriots remain one logical choice. Garoppolo began his career in New England before being traded to the 49ers during the 2017 season. 

Garoppolo currently has a no-trade clause in his contract, potentially limiting suitors who might otherwise be interested in the veteran quarterback. 

The draft gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

Check out the latest news and notes from around the NFL in the lead-up to the draft. (All times Eastern): 

9:00 a.m. —

• The Saints appear to be the team doing the most groundwork for a potential trade up in the first round. (Ian Rapoport, NFL Network)
• The Panthers have picked up the fifth-year option for wide receiver D.J. Moore, but they have not yet done so with quarterback Sam Darnold leaving open the possibility of drafting a quarterback. (Adam Schefter, ESPN) 

More NFL Draft Coverage:

• Rosenberg: Trevor Lawrence Is Out to Prove Absolutely Nothing
• Bishop: Trey Lance Is Just Different
• Prewitt: The Year of the Opt-Out Prospect
• Rosenberg: Justin Fields, the Player and the Story Line
• Kahler: The Search for 2021's Prospect X

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New on SI: In the Shadow of Tom Brady: What It Means to Be Pick 199

A journeyman lineman, a small-school record-setter, a converted wideout, and a career cut short due to a heart condition. Brady and the 199ers.

One random Halloween afternoon a million years ago, two forgettable Big Ten football programs clashed in Minneapolis. The 15–10 barnburner would all but vanish from memory, lost to the far reaches of football history—except to one Minnesota lineman, Adam Haayer, and Michigan’s starting quarterback, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. Eventually, two football players who held nothing in common would be joined by one number: 199. As in, 199th overall, their shared NFL draft slot.

Haayer (199, ’00) watched the festivities in 2000, his attention lingering on Big Ten prospects, like Brady, whom the Patriots famously selected in Round 6. “I was actually surprised he got drafted,” Haayer admits. The tackle would be stupefied later, when he realized his 199 status one year later would forever tie him to

the GOAT. He still tells youth football campers about their connection, still roots for Brady, his teammate in a fraternity as strange as any in sports.

On Saturday, the brotherhood will welcome another member when the Vikings, barring a trade, will tie one hopeful to a legend and everyone who followed him at 199. The pick will represent a gamble, same as always, the choice split between small schoolers who faced inferior competition, major-program prospects who tested poorly or bloomed late, fliers who switched positions or projected elsewhere in the pros and quarterbacks who see Brady as a blueprint, despite the impossible nature of his miraculous career path.

Haayer’s life, like most players drafted in the slot the quarterback made prominent, is the one that Brady could have lived. It’s the difference between 20 career NFL games played and 21 glorious NFL seasons starred in. Haayer’s LinkedIn profile is proof:

NFL Football Player, April 2001–Jan 2007
New and Used Car Sales Consultant, Jan 2007–Jan 2008
Sales and Marketing, Rollx Vans, Jan 2009–Sept 2015

Haayer skipped hosting a draft party, given his limbo-low expectations. Good thing, because the Titans took him during a commercial break while he sat in his parents’ living room. He set a modest goal that night, wanting only to make the team. Before he could, he blew out a knee in camp. He bounced to Minnesota, Arizona, St. Louis. He learned how to play guard and center, trying to push back his football expiration date. Still, he jokes, “I had a really good career of getting fired.”

John Madden didn’t help. Haayer met the broadcast icon before a Monday Night Football game against Philadelphia, and he reminded Madden of their shared birthplace: Austin, Minn. That night, Haayer replaced an injured starter and was tasked with blocking Jevon Kearse, a pass rusher whose nickname—The Freak—spoke to his genetic fortune. Haayer terms his performance “not horrible,” noting that he did not yield a sack. But there was Madden, telling the world, “Well, if this Haayer guy doesn’t pick it up, he’s gonna be for-hire tomorrow.”

And, later: Man, this Haayer kid is having a tough go. I’m almost embarrassed to say I’m from the same hometown as him.

Haayer hung on, like most 199s, for as long as he could. He fought through injuries, requiring roughly 20 epidurals so he could stand up straight and block. He made $120,000 his first year. He lived in a friend’s basement to save money, the bed next to a beer fridge, the bottles rattling at night. He also loved every minute of this outlier existence, the chance to simply play pro football, regardless of what it would cost him.

Extensive damage to his back left Haayer unable to work in 2015. He quit his job hawking wheelchair accessible vans and went on disability, sold his house and downsized. He moved from Minnesota, where the cold worsened his injuries, to Texas. He can’t stand up for long stretches, can’t sit in a non-supported chair, and can’t walk without limping, due to nerve damage in his right leg. A golf cart ferries him even short distances, and he reads more, because he can’t move much. Only naps provide brief respites from pain. “It’s pretty miserable, to tell you the truth,” he says. His goals changed. “Right now, I want to keep myself busy, healthy and positive.”

All these years later, Haayer understands that 199 life, how sharing a celebrated draft slot with Brady ruined all reasonable expectations. But rather than see Tom Terrific’s success as an impossible hurdle, he looks to Brady for the same things as the rest of their fraternity: motivation, inspiration and, above all, hope.

---

Pick No. 199 in the draft was just another number on that now historic Sunday in April, 21 years and 13 days ago. Even some New England staffers from that time are careful not to retroactively claim an unfair share of responsibility for the franchise-altering selection. Charlie Weis defers to Scott Pioli, then the Patriots’ assistant director of player personnel. “Too many people want credit on this one!” Weis quips. And Jason Licht, who two decades later brought Brady (and, subsequently, a ring) to Tampa Bay, distances himself from the QB’s original drafting. “I did not scout Brady,” asserts Licht, then a southeast area scout.

No bigger proponent of Brady emerged than Dick Rehbein, the Patriots quarterbacks coach who would die of heart failure during training camp the following year. He saw the potential in the mildly unathletic Michigan prospect despite the two Drews in the way: Henson, with whom Brady had been mired in a platoon in Ann Arbor, and Bledsoe, who would sign the largest contract in NFL history with New England a year later. Licht, again making clear he had no hand in Brady’s selection, recalls the moment when Bill Belichick and Pioli turned in Brady’s name as relatively unremarkable.

“Quarterback wasn’t really a dire need for us,” Licht says. “But if it had been a dire need for us, I believe he would have been taken a lot higher than he was by Bill.”

That number, 199, would help define Brady’s ethos. But what no one could have expected at the time was the invisible string that would connect those that followed in that draft slot. Like the player drafted No. 199 a full two decades later, whom Brady would face on a Monday night last November. The morning Rams rookie safety Jordan Fuller (199, ’20) would play the GOAT for the first time, his sports psychologist reminded him via text: “Pick 199 vs. Pick 199.”

They’d talked about Brady even before Fuller joined the 199 club. In the months before the 2020 draft, Fuller began working with Donovan Martin, a Fort Wayne–based sports psychologist. Martin held up Brady’s mental strength as a model, specifically his ability to lock in under pressure, using the adrenaline of big moments to elevate his performance without being paralyzed by stress. “It was funny that I was drafted in the same exact spot as him,” Fuller says.

Like Brady, Fuller was a big-school player—from rival Ohio State—whose measurables played a role in his 199 availability. He was clocked at 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from running again at the canceled Buckeyes’ pro day. But also like Brady, he had an advocate in his future team’s draft room: For Fuller, it was Midwest area scout Brian Hill, who told decision makers, roughly, Draft him. Don’t think twice. Thank me later.

Thus Fuller, who started immediately for L.A., came to stare across the line at Brady in Tampa last November. Halfway through the third quarter, with the score tied, Fuller played a deep zone by “reading Tom’s eyes.” Under pressure, Brady underthrew a post route to Chris Godwin. Fuller used his body to secure the turnover, grabbing both his first interception and a piece of 199 history. Then, just inside of the two-minute warning, with the Rams leading by three, Fuller encountered the exact situation he’d prepared for with his sports psychologist, by studying Brady. He tracked the ball again in a deep zone, to snatch the overthrown pass to Cameron Brate. Game over. “It was a bunch of mental work coming to fruition, playing him,” Fuller says.

He returned to his locker to find text messages from Donovan praising his “serious mental strength” and reminding him there are “no limits.” Even more memorable: the message Fuller received a few days later, an Instagram DM from the player who made their draft slot famous. Fuller is nervous at first about sharing a private message from Brady, but it’s perfectly relevant. “Congrats, 199,” Brady wrote to him, per Fuller. “I’m not gonna let that happen again.”

Their message exchange, Fuller says, was “a good little initiation” into the 199 brotherhood—not that he didn't know the significance of his first interception as soon as it happened. Miked up by NFL Films that night, he looked into a sideline camera after that play and announced: “I was drafted 199, too! Don’t forget that.”

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THE SMALL-SCHOOLER: ADRIAN PETERSON (’02)

Early 199ers didn’t know Brady as greatest-of-all-time Tom Brady, meaning they saw their draft slot less as a shared oddity and more as their only NFL chance. For those from lower college football divisions, like Adrian Peterson—and, no, not that Adrian Peterson—that’s as much as they could reasonably hope for, a sliver of opportunity to wiggle through.

Peterson watched the draft with his parents, and even though he expected to go earlier—a common theme for the 199s—seeing his name scroll across the ticker marked a “thrill.” As a tailback for Georgia Southern who ran a 4.69 40-yard dash at the combine, Peterson knew that teams eyed him warily, despite 9,161 career rushing yards, the tally staggering enough to land him in the College Football Hall of Fame.

At Bears training camp, Peterson made the team through his prowess as a return specialist. Each subsequent year, he gained more responsibility. In 2005, after injuries sidelined the backs in front of him, Peterson became the starter, scoring against the Panthers in the Divisional playoff round. The next year, his forced fumble in the NFC championship game helped send Chicago to the Super Bowl, where the Bears lost to the Colts. This wasn’t exactly Brady’s story, but it wasn’t too far off: underdog overcomes draft slight to become key member of team that plays for NFL title—the route of 199er dreams.

Peterson held on, too, for as long as he could. He thought he could make the Seahawks roster in 2010 but was released so Seattle could add a second kicker. He latched on with the Virginia Destroyers, winning a title, just like Brady, only the United Football League version. He wrote a book, Don’t Dis My Abilities, detailing how he overcame a speech impediment, and the volume led to motivational speaking gigs after he retired.

He also endured tragedy; his seven-year-old son died of a brain tumor. He pushed through everything. “Just strength, man,” he says.

Eventually, Peterson returned to his alma mater. He won’t spend his post-football life espousing recovery techniques like the quarterback who turned his number and career longevity into the TB12 Method. Instead, he works in development for athletes at the university, telling both his story and Brady’s to inspire batch after batch of overachievers—just like them.

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THE BIG-PROGRAM QUESTION MARK: THEO RIDDICK (’13)

When Theo Riddick was selected by the Lions, he didn’t think of Brady at first. Like the others in the 199 fraternity, his drafting was bittersweet, as he considered the long odds he’d face as a sixth-round pick: A “crab-in-a-bucket type of lifestyle,” he calls it.

If you’ve ever literally put crabs in a bucket, Riddick explains, the first thing they try to do is get out. But when one starts to make progress, the next crab will pull them back down. He views late-round picks as crabs all dropped into the same bucket. “You're in the midst of a lot of players willing to do anything to not have you gain that roster spot,” he says.

Before heading to Detroit, Riddick sought inspiration for how to navigate this uncertain path. A few friends had mentioned 199 was Brady’s slot, too. Just like Haayer, who still watches YouTube videos of draft “experts” certain in their collective belief that Brady would never last in the NFL, Riddick started searching for the knocks issued on Brady in 2000: Skinny guy. Pretty slow. Didn’t have the tangibles to be a top-tier quarterback. “That's how I got my perspective on it,” he says. “Because then you get to see, when he rolled the dice, what did he get? He got f---ing six rings.” (Seven, actually, but it’s easy to lose count).

Riddick expected to be a third- or fourth-round pick, and during the draft he became another 199er led on by empty assurances from teams telling him to remain on alert. Looking back, he figures he lasted that long because he “wasn’t on the scene as much,” bouncing around positions before breaking through at running back his senior year, when Notre Dame went undefeated in the regular season. He then pulled his hamstring right before the combine and had a severe shoulder sprain that didn’t allow him to perform the bench press.

He can’t count the number of times he needed “that hope” he derived from Brady. Here’s one: Heading into his third season, the Lions’ depth chart at running back was getting crowded. The team had drafted Ameer Abdullah in the second round, and Riddick says Detroit’s special teams coach at the time, Joe Marciano, told him there were conversations about not dressing him for the season opener. He ended up having one of the most productive seasons of his career, joining teammates Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate in one of only five trios in NFL history each with 80 or more catches.

Riddick, who just re-signed with the Raiders, is one of the best-known 199ers after Brady (and certainly the most fantasy football relevant). He recalls the GOAT himself telling him after a 2018 game in Detroit, “I love what you do.” But Riddick still bristles at the idea of a 199 fraternity. As a crab that made it out of the bucket, he’s worked for nine years not to be defined by his draft status.

“I feel like I still get the respect of a sixth-rounder. And I feel like I’m worth more than that, to be honest with you,” he says. “I do feel that in this league, no matter how successful you are, you get treated depending on the round you got drafted.

“Unless you're Tom Brady.”

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THE FLIER: CHARLIE JOHNSON (’06)

The speculative bets selected 199th overall can only envy Riddick’s pedigree, the Notre Dame influence on draft slots. They’re not typically role players or late bloomers for college powers, but rather prospects who were forced to switch positions, either in school or afterward; their potential seen in what they might do, rather than bolstered by their resumés.

They’re players like Charlie Johnson, a tight end at Oklahoma State who converted to the offensive line before his senior season, leaving him little time to learn a new position, let alone wow scouts with game film. On the day his college career ended, Johnson guessed his football days were over, too. And that point would be driven home by one terrible draft visit.

The appointment in question was in Indianapolis, the final and by far the worst of Johnson’s four trips to NFL facilities. It took place the weekend before Easter, inside a Colts facility devoid of decision makers. Where other teams at least feigned interest, with fancy dinners and high-level meetings, Johnson noted the absence of coach Tony Dungy, the brief meeting with general manager Bill Polian and how an intern retrieved him at the airport. This intern even forgot to hand over Johnson’s per diem money, and rather than descend on a steakhouse, he ordered Chinese takeout from a nearby restaurant and paid his own tab.

Imagine his surprise, then, when Polian and Dungy called to inform Johnson he would be a Colt. Maybe I have a chance, he reasoned, against logic, just like Brady had. After all, the quarterback that every team passed on for five rounds had already won three Super Bowl rings from their shared draft position, raising the possibilities, even the deluded ones. “He gave guys like me that hope that we can make it,” Johnson says. He pauses, recognizing the need to clarify. “Obviously, you’re not going to turn into Tom Brady,” he chuckles.

Johnson made $275,000 his rookie season, the same year Brady passed $14 million in salary for the first time. The newbie sought input from the veterans around him, just like Brady, leaning on Pro Bowl lineman Jeff Saturday, once an undrafted center who landed on the waiver wire before he stuck. Saturday taught Johnson how to approach football—less like a job and more like a craft. He didn’t need to chug gallons of electrolyte water and disgrace linemen everywhere by switching to avocado ice cream. He didn’t need to be Brady to arrive at a similar mindset.

Nine seasons, two franchises and 134 games played later, Johnson had not exactly elevated into Brady’s stratosphere. But he came the closest of any 199er since ’00 to Brady’s longevity.

For five seasons in Indy, Johnson also became, if not necessarily Brady’s rival, then at least a significant part of the budding hatred between the Colts and Patriots. In that ’06 season, he helped Indianapolis topple New England in the AFC championship. He can still remember the tiniest details: the halftime deficit; the speech from Dungy, “Guys, we’re gonna win this game”; the acrobatic Reggie Wayne catch; the Marlin Jackson interception to seal a Super Bowl bid. For the rest of his career, Johnson would never hear a stadium so loud. The Colts would win Super Bowl XLI, with Johnson subbing in again for the last two and a half quarters. At one point quarterback Peyton Manning glanced at the rookie lineman in the huddle, winked and said, “How long have you been in here?”

Long enough. That night, Johnson became the only 199er since Brady to win an NFL title—at Brady’s expense, no less. In that moment, however brief, Johnson knew how it felt to live Brady’s charmed life, and what it took to get there. “It’s crazy that I’m somewhat associated with him,” Johnson says. Now a high school football coach in Stillwater, he keeps his ring in a lockbox in his closet. He wears it once a year, and only once a year, on the Sunday of the Super Bowl. The mind-boggling part: Brady is still playing in most of them.

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THE OUTLIER: GARRETT SCOTT (’14)

Some 199ers defy easy categorization, their lives—and careers—changed by circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Like Garrett Scott. An unusually athletic offensive tackle at Marshall, he presented as an archetypal Seahawks pick, settling far enough off the radar that he wasn’t invited to the combine, but firmly on the radar of scouts. He was drafted the same weekend that he earned his college degree, fielding the phone call from Seahawks execs John Schneider and Pete Carroll in the hallway of a banquet hall where his family had gathered to celebrate the dual occasions. His god brother, immediately noticing the pick number, told Scott he hoped there would be a “Mr. 199” party so he could meet Brady.

Before Scott could even participate in rookie minicamp, though, the Seahawks pulled him off the field. Since he hadn’t gone to the combine or visited Seattle pre-draft, the physical he took before signing was the team’s first extensive medical evaluation of him. One form asked if any family members had passed away of a heart condition, and Scott answered yes: He was a third-grader when his older brother, Randolph Scott, Jr., collapsed during gym class. The team sent Scott for tests on his heart as a precaution, including an EKG and MRI with contrast.

The results were startling: The scans showed a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the walls of the heart become abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. Scott was confused; he never had any symptoms, nor had this shown up in the physicals he’d taken in college. But the risk of heart failure this condition carries can be exacerbated through extreme physical exertion, meaning he would be sidelined indefinitely.

Even seven years later, Scott recalls vividly “the day I got my heart crushed.” He walked into the training room before the team left for its first preseason game and was told three doctors wanted to meet with him. He’d continued to get heart scans, still hopeful he could play again, but the doctors told him that day the risk was too great to continue the NFL dream he’d first written on a football as a kindergartener. “I was in that room, crying for a little while,” Scott says. Teammates James Carpenter and Alvin Bailey engulfed him in hugs. He also spent a while talking to Russell Okung about his next steps in life. “He told me, ‘Invest in Bitcoin,’ ” Scott says.

Scott couldn’t help but feel like damaged goods. But the Seahawks supported him, choosing to sign him to his rookie contract before waiving him, so he could earn the approximately $100,000 signing bonus slotted for pick No. 199. They also paid Scott salary and benefits during the 2014 season, which he spent with the defending champs, attending every meeting, learning game plans and taking mental reps on the sidelines. He says he hasn’t needed medicine or surgery, and doctors were never able to tell him what caused the condition—only that it wasn’t hereditary.

The sudden transition was not easy for a player the Seahawks once thought could grow into a starting left tackle. Other NFL and CFL teams checked in with Scott’s agent, but his medical file was a deal-breaker. He began binge-eating as a way of coping, his weight ticking above 350 pounds by the one-year mark of his draft day. Before a springtime trip to Lake Washington in 2015, Scott looked in the mirror and got a wake-up call. He began walking, then running, then returning to the gym and eating clean, eventually losing more than 80 pounds.

“I had some moments where I felt like I wasn't worth anything just because I didn't play anymore,” Scott says. “It took a while [before] I realized that didn't make sense at all.”

Scott remembers Okung inviting him and other rookies to various business events during his year with the team, and he realizes now the veteran was trying to show him a world outside football. Scott has tried to do the same for former teammates who are facing their own transitions out of the game. Losing football, he says, “made things a little bit simpler.” He still lives near Seattle, in Bellevue, and makes hip-hop music under the name G Swervo. People often ask him if he’ll record a track about having to leave the game behind, but he says he just wants to put out good vibes. He wants to be “the most positive 199.”

That Mr. 199 party Scott’s god-brother was hoping for has not happened yet, though Scott’s path has tangibly intersected with Brady: He passed him on the field after Super Bowl XLIX, moments after the Patriots snatched the trophy from Seattle at the one-yard line. He didn’t stop Brady because, well, you know. But there was something fulfilling about being there that season, ending up on the same field as his fellow 199.

“In a sense, I feel like I did accomplish my dream,” Scott says. “I got there.”

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THE LONGSHOT QB: LUKE FALK (’18)

The QB 199ers came to identify more closely with Brady, naturally, than other players chosen there. Even as the years flew by and the titles accumulated, making him even less like them. Still, they play the same position and share the same draft slot, which is enough for players like Luke Falk to hold onto.

The sentiment isn’t all that unreasonable: Brady threw for 4,773 yards and 30 touchdowns in college; Falk, an All–Pac-12 selection at Washington State, nearly matched the yardage total and exceeded the touchdown tally in ’15 alone. Even after accounting for Falk’s more open offense, how passing exploded over Brady’s career and the rules changed to limit defenses, the statistical difference speaks to hope that can, at least, be shared. Not even Brady could have foreseen what he would become.

When the Titans—and former Brady teammate Mike Vrabel, their coach—took Falk, the QB wore, of all hats, a TB12-branded one. (He had visited the center after his senior year to rehab college injuries.) Falk told his coaches one vivid football memory: watching the Tuck Rule Game, when Brady beat the Raiders on a controversial overturned fumble to advance to his first conference championship. Falk was seven, watching on TV.

Falk’s pro football odyssey started that day, all those years later, with the depth, breadth and possibility of Brady’s career looming like an idealized version of reality. Falk would be cut (Titans), claimed (Dolphins), placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury and released after Miami traded for Josh Rosen. He would be claimed, yet again, by the Jets.

In September 2019, Gang Green elevated Falk from its practice squad. Due to illness (Sam Darnold, mono) and injury (Trevor Siemian, broken ankle), Falk began his NFL career just like Brady, only this time for the Jets, rather than against them. The football gods leaned into the juxtaposition, as Falk’s first start took place in Foxborough, against you-know-who. This birthed comparisons, many unfair, until Falk replacing a sick starter morphed into the same thing as Brady replacing a hobbled one. That Brady's first start also came against a legend—in his case, Manning, then with the Colts—added symmetry. Playing against Brady, Falk says, “is the only time I’ve ever cheered against him.”

Brady toppled the Jets easily, same as throughout two dynastic decades ruling the AFC East. Falk struggled on the same field as his idol, who found him afterward and told him to “hold your head up” and “keep pushing.” Darnold came back soon after, and Falk played only once more in ’19, taking nine sacks against the Eagles in a game when he tore both labrums, leading to his midseason release.

Still, he cannot let go, not with Brady as the benchmark. “It’s hell and heaven at the same time,” Falk says. “You put your body through everything. But there’s no rush like running out of that tunnel. It’s like a drug.”

With another NFL draft on the horizon, Falk signed instead with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. His May start date was pushed to August recently, due to pandemic restrictions at the border. But if the whole football thing doesn’t work out, he has another idea: start a Pick 199 group on Facebook. Brady would be his first invite.

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THE OG: EPHRAIM SALAAM (’98)

After Ephraim Salaam played one season with the Falcons—and lost Super Bowl XXXIII—he considered his job secure enough to allow for one splurge. So he bought a silver Mercedes-Benz, and he knew exactly how to personalize the license plate: Pick 199.

Two years before Brady transformed their draft slot into the number that most motivated him, Salaam knew his life would be defined by the same three digits. He’s an OG 199er, a founding member. He knew that as the draft unfolded, when his agent rented out a restaurant in San Diego and Salaam invited everyone he knew. As confidants snacked on appetizers and downed drinks, he told them all he would be drafted by the Jets, a team with a local scout Salaam had grown close to. “We’ll take you in the third round,” the scout promised, even, Salaam says, that very morning. They didn’t.

He can’t remember who strolled to the podium to announce the team’s fourth-round pick. He can remember that it started out something like: and with the 111th pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select …” He’ll never forget. Jason Fabini.

“My soul just slunk out of my body,” Salaam says.

Party, over. Salaam drowned his sorrow in nachos. When the wait continued the next day, he could no longer watch. While driving to a movie theater, he fielded several phone calls from executives expressing interest in him as a free agent. So when Art Shell buzzed in, Salaam was over all of it. When Shell introduced himself, Salaam answered, only, “Yeah.” But Shell told him he had been arguing for Salaam’s selection since Round 5. The Falcons, Shell emphasized, had an opening at right tackle. “Whatever happened, once you get here, it’s up to you,” Shell told him.

Salaam hung up, turned to his brother and said, “I’mma make everybody pay.”

Football became his sole focus, his vision tunneled by revenge. Sometimes, he looks back at pictures of himself from that season and sees the hair, wild and grown long; the clothes, chosen haphazardly; and those eyes, so piercing and focused. His appearance shows Salaam the ignore-all-else devotion necessary to prove to 31 teams how badly they had missed. He’s exactly like Brady, a Hall of Fame–caliber grudge-holder, in that regard; 199ers at their core.

Salaam managed to play 13 seasons, wear five different jerseys, start 129 games and play in 163 total. He excelled, becoming a Pro Bowl alternate at a position with nods hogged by future Hall of Famers. Like Brady, he played forever and played well. Over time, he came to see the quarterback as a beacon, the torch bearer. “I was just happy [with] the light he showed,” Salaam says.

Salaam believes the 199s deserve their own fraternity. Not like the “Mr. Irrelevant” players, chosen each year with the last pick in the draft. More like “Mr. I’m Relevant” instead. Salaam would establish ground rules that determine standing: five seasons played for membership, with bonuses for longevity, championships or accolades. Start 100 games and you’re eligible for a board seat. This could be Brady’s new team in retirement, whenever that comes, in one year or another five.

These days, Salaam continues his post-football transition to Hollywood, more proof that he and Brady aren’t so different, after all. For a 199er who now thinks in story, a recent contestant on Wheel of Fortune and a producer who helped found Hidden Empire Film Group, Salaam loves how 199 ties so many disparate prospects together—and how the 199 from 2000 transformed a late pick into a rallying cry. It’s the poetic kind of arc.

“Everything I do, I live as though I’m the 199th pick,” Salaam says. “That’s how much energy and effort I put into everything.” His words would apply to Peterson, to Riddick, to Johnson and the rest, Brady (199, ’00) included. Perhaps Salaam could open a film on 199ers that way. Regardless, he knows one thing: He won’t be able to write a more improbable script.

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