Opinion

Canelo Alvarez's ring resume isn't quite pristine.

He's been a professional boxer for more than half his life, with precisely two losses in 61 fights.

The first blemish came nearly nine years ago against imminent Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and is largely pardoned these days as simply too much, too soon for a 22-year-old kid.

And the second came Saturday night, when he was outboxed, outslugged, and comprehensively outworked by a big, talented, and determined light heavyweight in Dmitry Bivol.

It was jarring given the pound-for-pound ace's win percentage but just as easily excused given that a guy who'd debuted at 140 pounds was fighting one who'd never weighed in lighter than 173.

For a guy who values legacy, it was the price of greatness.

Or, in this case, of reaching for greatness.

Lest anyone forget, Alvarez had spent most of the past four years as a modern throwback to years past, when champions prioritized conquering new turf over simply protecting their own.

Already flush with middleweight jewelry, he defeated three titleholders at 168 pounds and another at 175—becoming Mexico's first undisputed champ and the sport's undisputed kingpin.

A win over Bivol, he said, would be the first step in yet another quest for undisputed status.

But the three 115-113 scores in his Russian foe's favor suggest something else.

It's time to finish old business before chasing anything else new.

Alvarez's two-fight series with Gennady Golovkin cemented his status as a pay-per-view star and kicked off the aforementioned stretch in which he conquered myriad champions across multiple weights.

Officially, he's 1-0-1 against Triple G, having won a majority decision and the boogeyman's middleweight title in 2018 after fighting him to a split draw a year earlier.

But more than a few folks disagree.

In fact, it's not hard to find fans and media members who'd score him down 0-2.

"At best, 1-1, perhaps 0-1-1. Very fortunate not to be 0-2," Randy Gordon, former editor of The Ring and current host of At The Fights on SiriusXM Radio, told Bleacher Report.

"I thought the draw belonged to GGG. I think that should have been a win for GGG.

"The win for Canelo in fight number two I could live with, but I can see how many thought GGG really won it, or should have pulled out a 114-114 draw, as Glenn Feldman had it."

Regardless of your lean, it's been every bit that close.

Five of six scorecards across two fights have been either 6-6 or 7-5—excluding Adelaide Byrd's laughable 10-2 in the opener—and neither man has been able to control the other for significant stretches.

They've boxed. They've brawled. They've been punished. They've been bloodied.

They've thrown more than 2,700 punches at one another and landed better than 800, with Alvarez holding a statistical advantage—albeit a slight one, 32.9 percent to 28.6—across 72 minutes.

It's the nip-and-tuck stuff that all-time rivalries are made of.

And the best news from Saturday night is that it's not done yet.

Or at least that it shouldn't be.

He wasn't about to admit it afterward, but Alvarez's loss to Bivol wasn't the product of bad judging or flawed timing. It was a bigger guy, with sound fundamentals, a good chin and zero jitters, employing a style that will bedevil him every time he sees it—be it in Las Vegas, Guadalajara or Moscow.

When Alvarez hit Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders and Sergey Kovalev, they felt it.

But when he hit Bivol, Bivol hit him back twice.

A 152-84 margin in landed punches for the winner as a 5-to-1 underdog doesn't bode well for Alvarez with a Bivol who's more confident and even better prepared—meaning the rematch clause mentioned in Saturday's immediate aftermath is the last option promoter Eddie Hearn should suggest Sunday.

Especially considering a Golovkin trilogy was sketched out by the parties earlier this year.

And now that interim business is handled, they can enter the air reserved for the sport's most recognized pairs and guarantee they'll be prominently mentioned on each other's Hall of Fame plaques.

Heavyweights Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier laid much of the foundation for their respective legends over 41 rounds in the ring between 1971 and 1975, while welterweights Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran did the same across three fights of their own from 1980 to 1989.

The career arcs of Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward were defined, too, by their three apocalyptic fights across 13 months in 2002 and 2003, and Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez took it a step further, fighting four times across three weight divisions between 2004 and 2012.

In their aftermaths, it's impossible to think of one man without imagining the other.

And, when it comes to this one, what's a rivalry without some heat?

Golovkin is keenly aware of the standings with his high-profile nemesis and expressed frustration in a chat with Bleacher Report that his own prodigious accomplishments—holding a title every year since 2011, stopping 15 straight foes in title fights, etc.—were overshadowed by the first two bouts.

"I don't think that my rivalry with Canelo Alvarez is the only thing that characterizes my career," he said. "Just to point out a few things: I am the record-holder for the number of defenses—21 defenses. I have the biggest number of knockouts. And I think there are people who will remember me by that.

"There are people to whom it would matter more."

Matter a lot? Perhaps.

Matter more? No chance.

Though defeats of Kell Brook (TKO 5), Daniel Jacobs (UD 12) and David Lemieux (TKO 8) were menacing in spots and compelling throughout, none drew nor deserved the attention of the Alvarez fights.

And unless he delivers a clear victory in Act III, Golovkin gets the sort of forever second-place status that Frazier has with Ali after three fights and Tommy Hearns has with Ray Leonard after two.

Frazier and Hearns surely had spectacular moments, but their rivals' moments were both more frequent and memorable, giving them a permanent victory on the perception scorecard.

"It's a vital necessity for Triple G," former HBO blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley, who called several of both men's fights on the network, told Bleacher Report. "And since there won't be a fourth fight, the rivalry will end either as a standoff or as a triumph for Canelo."

It may be an unfair reality for a Hall-worthy competitor.

But when it comes to combat, if you're not first you're last.

What someone says isn't always as important as how they say it.

During voluntary team activities, reporters asked Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill how he can help third-round pick Malik Willis. His defensive response indicated he's threatened by the idea of losing his job to the rookie.

"We're competing against each other. We're watching the same tape. We're doing the same drills," Tannehill said. "I don't think it's my job to mentor him. But if he learns from me along the way, then that's a great thing."

Insert eyeball emoji.

To be fair, nothing Tannehill said was wrong. The two will be in the same quarterback room, learning the same things and competing. Nothing in his contract says he must mentor his counterpart. In the NFL, an individual plays as long as their team can't find a better or cheaper alternative. It's clear Tannehill remembers how he came into his position.

Some differences exist, though. Tannehill, a first-round selection himself in 2012, displaced 2015 No. 2 pick Marcus Mariota after Tannehill was traded to Tennessee in March 2019. The Miami Dolphins had given up on him. So, he knows what it's like to take someone's job and likely sees a similar pattern.

The way in which Tannehill responded said everything about his insecurity after the Titans chose Willis with the 86th pick.

Some may say too many are reading far too much into Tannehill's response. Jimmy Garoppolo endured a comparable situation last year when the San Francisco 49ers traded for the No. 3 pick last year, giving up two first-round selections and a third-rounder and then drafting his eventual replacement. 

"You come into this NFL career and start as the young guy. I came in, Tom [Brady] kind of showed me the ropes," Garoppolo said when asked about being a mentor on Keyshawn, Will and Zubin (h/t ESPN's Nick Wagoner). "The competition between us was awesome. It really made me grow as a rookie and a young player. Me and Trey [Lance] will mold our relationship into that. It'll happen naturally. You can't force anything. Let it come as it may."

Similar questions. Similar answers. Completely different tones.

The NFL can be cutthroat. No one denies how difficult and taxing the business aspect of professional football can be. But there's something to be said about leadership, particularly at the quarterback position, and how it permeates an organization. Quite a few current and former players had plenty to say about Tannehill's response and how it reflected poorly on his status as a team leader.

"If you don't want to mentor I get it," LeSean McCoy tweeted, "but don't call yourself a good teammate. If anything happens to you and he needs to replace you let's pray he is prepared. Winning is the only stat that matters if you are a good teammate."

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner added, "I will never understand the 'I'm not here to mentor the next guy' mentality."

Saints cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who's not shy about making his feelings known, went as far as to say he hopes Willis takes Tannehill's job.

Then again, former Titan Jonnu Smith rightly stated that it's a competitive league. Competition should make a player better. If it doesn't, he shouldn't be in that spot. With that mind, Tannehill could have a difficult time holding off Willis depending on how the latter picks up the system and develops based on the opportunities available to him.

Willis' developmental curve is the crux of the setup.

The dual-threat option was viewed as a first-round prospect because of his talent. No one in the quarterback class presented as much upside, not even Kenny Pickett, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers chose with the 20th pick and was the only first-round signal-caller.

Willis is an elite athlete with the arm to threaten every blade of grass.

"To me, he's the No. 1 guy in the class," an AFC general manager told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "And for whatever people want to talk about in terms of readiness or all this other stuff—it was the same thing with Josh Allen, it was the same thing with Patrick Mahomes. I think people are a little short-sighted with that kid."

An NFC coordinator agreed: "He's the only one with the talent level that deserves [to be picked in Round 1]. Now, there's some holes in his game. [But] to me, he's a better prospect than Trey Lance was a year ago and a better prospect than Justin Fields was a year ago."

An AFC coordinator said, "If I had to take a quarterback this year, I would take Willis, because at least he's got the talent to get himself out of a jam when things don't look pretty."

If so many believe in Willis, why did he fall into the third round? Simple: a steep learning curve.

The comparisons provided to Pelissero are interesting, and not just because two of them involved the game's best. Rather, the timing in those scenarios could provide a template for Willis and the Titans.

Allen started out of the gate. But Mahomes and Lance barely played during their rookie seasons. Even in Allen's case, he needed years of guidance while playing in the same system to fully harness his capabilities.

Tannehill shouldn't be worried that Willis will take his job at the onset of camp because the likelihood of that is basically nil. Willis needs time to adjust. While that is true of all rookie signal-callers, Liberty's offense under the direction of head coach Hugh Freeze did Willis no favors.

The Flames didn't have talent around Willis. The scheme wasn't comparable to nearly anything in the NFL. Pocket pressure forced him to make things happen far too often. Willis even struggled to make the correct reads and decisions. Everyone sees his potential but understands he's a work in progress. That makes Willis the class' most intriguing quarterback prospect, as an NFC coach told Pelissero:

"If there's any of them that you're going to look back and say he turned into a really difference-making player at the position, the one guy that has a chance to do that is probably the Liberty guy. But there's also a chance that he just doesn't develop as a passer the way he's going to need to and he flames out. He's got a wide range of ways that his career could go. But he's a guy that you see some special plays on tape with, stuff you can't coach—off-schedule production, extending the play. He's an outstanding runner. He'll be a top-five runner, maybe a top-three runner at the position from day one. And then he's got all the arm in the world. It's just going to be about whether he can hone that in and learn to play the way a team's going to need him to play in the pass game, just in terms of decision-making and playing fast."

Willis landed in one of the best possible situations, even if the same can't be said for Tannehill. Willis won't have to deal with the pressure of being a first-round pick and face of the franchise. He won't be thrust into the lineup. He can sit back, take his reps and learn, even if the veteran in front of him isn't eager to help.

Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing could tailor portions of the offense to Willis' skill set and take advantage of his athleticism and strong arm as early as training camp. The Titans can sprinkle in run-pass options and designed packages to get Willis on the field. As he learns and grows, Willis can work his way into a bigger role, specifically a starting opportunity.

Willis' growth potential is enormous. Every season, the importance of quarterbacks working off-platform and outside of structure becomes more important. Willis is special in that regard. But his upside is only half the equation.

Tannehill's time is running short.

The 10-year veteran will turn 34 in July, and his contract only runs through 2023. If Willis shows promise this season—on the field or in practice—the organization can release Tannehill next offseason and save $17.8 million, per Over the Cap. If it waits until after June 1, that figure will balloon to $27 million.

Tannehill deserves credit for providing consistency and stabilizing the franchise. Even so, the Titans' trajectory plateaued because they don't feature the caliber of quarterback play needed to compete with the AFC's best, no matter how many wins they rack up in the regular season.

Running back Derrick Henry is the star of the show. Willis could provide something unique alongside the game's premier workhorse as yet another running threat who can bring extra defenders into the box and then throw over the top in play action.

The Titans lack dynamic traits. Willis can bring those. He simply needs time. As such, Tannehill knows his time is limited, and he reacted like someone who already knows his fate.

   

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Disaster has struck UFC 274. And the first preliminary fight is still more than a day away.

Lightweight champion—excuse me, former lightweight champion—Charles Oliveira missed weight on both attempts Friday, becoming the first UFC fighter to lose a title to the weigh-in scale.

In terms of stakes or the excitement around UFC 274 or Oliveira's main event with Justin Gaethje, this isn't just air going out of a balloon. This is a catastrophe.

Here's how it all went down:

• During weigh-ins, Oliveira came in at 155.5 pounds, or half a pound above the limit for title fights. (Non-title bouts have a one-pound grace margin, but title fights require competitors to hit it on the nose or come in below the limit.)
• Oliveira had one hour to lose the extra weight. After taking the full hour, an emaciated Oliveira re-emerged. He shed his shorts behind a curtain and, with coaches and commissioners lined up to check for funny business, again weighed in at 155.5 pounds.
• Oliveira remains the champion, but as of Saturday night, the UFC lightweight title will be considered vacant.
• Oliveira and the MMA community stared blankly in disbelief.
• He will forfeit an unspecified percentage of his fight purse to Gaethje.
• Oliveira will not be able to win the title back Saturday. If he defeats Gaethje, the title will remain vacant.
• Gaethje, who hit his mark at exactly 155 pounds, will become champion if he defeats Oliveira.

Oliveira displayed confidence before and during the proceedings (as evidenced by this pre-weigh-in tweet) but was visibly and understandably in shock after the number was read a second time.

weight ✔️

peso✔️#UFC274

— Charles 'DoBronxs' Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) May 6, 2022

This was a first in UFC history, though there was a precedent—well, sort of. In 2018, women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano was hospitalized while cutting weight for her UFC 228 defense against Valentina Shevchenko and was subsequently stripped of her title. But it's not the same because she never actually weighed in.

This was not the first time Oliveira had difficulty with the scale. However, those failures came one weight class below at featherweight. He missed in 2012 before a loss to Cub Swanson, in 2014 before beating Jeremy Stephens, in 2015 before a victory against Myles Jury and in 2016 before a defeat at the hands of Ricardo Lamas, after which Oliveira returned to 155 pounds and didn't miss weight for his 12 bouts leading up to UFC 274.

What does this mean for UFC 274? Well, UFC executives are certainly wiping their eyes with hundred dollar bills as their pay-per-view buys evaporate before their tear-stained fields of vision. This is especially true because of some stiff counterprogramming from its sister sport, as boxing's pound-for-pound king Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will vie for a light heavyweight title on the same evening.

The fight itself could still be a great one. Despite the weigh-in mishap, DraftKings listed Oliveira as a -140 favorite. He's incredibly skilled and well-rounded. Gaethje is a stone-cold knockout artist with the power, patience and takedown defense to steal an opponent's will, or consciousness, over time. But Oliveira is not just going to roll over—in fact, this might provide added motivation.

This isn't likely to win him a lot of friends in the front office or elsewhere. On one hand, you feel bad for Oliveira, and it's just half a pound. But on the other hand, why would a champion leave this to chance, knowing full well that even a few ounces can mean calamity? Mitigating circumstances notwithstanding, missing weight is one of the most unprofessional things a fighter can do.

Which brings us to the division as a whole. What happens now? It's a good thing for fans that this is the best weight class in the UFC. Even if Oliveira wins and the title stays vacant, there will be plenty of options.

First, the UFC issued a statement about the situation (h/t Aaron Bronsteter of TSN) that essentially guaranteed Oliveira will stay in the mix. The statement read in part: "If Oliveira wins, he will be the number one contender for the vacant Lightweight Championship and will fight the next challenger for the undisputed title belt at a time and place to be determined."

But there are still a lot of options at the top of the division. There could be rematch between co-No. 1-ranked Gaethje and Dustin Poirier (Poirier won the first fight). Or how about a bout between No. 3 Islam Makhachev and the winner of Saturday's bout between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson? And what about Conor McGregor?

So, with or without Oliveira, the division and the UFC march on. Oliveira himself? Not so much. No matter what, he will have to answer questions about this for the rest of his life. It could even be career-defining. And this is the fighter with the most submission wins (15) in UFC history.

For someone as great and as tested as Oliveira, this is more than a shame. It's a disaster.

The 2022 NFL draft took place last weekend, and while there were plenty of news-making picks, the biggest impact move of all entailed a veteran player changing teams.

The trade that sent A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles made him the latest big-name pass-catcher to move franchises and sign a massive contract. It gave the Eagles offense a major boost as they attempt to keep pace with (or surpass) the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.

And it cranked up the pressure on third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts to take a big leap as a passer and lead the Eagles not only to the postseason but also on a long run once they get there.

Or else.

There had been speculation for some time that in an offseason when star receivers such as Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill were already moved that Brown (who was looking for a big payday heading into his fourth season) could be dealt. And as Thursday's first round moved along, the deal was struck—for the 18th pick and a third-rounder, Tennessee sent Brown to the Eagles. Philadelphia then gave Brown his payday: $100 million over four years with $57.2 million guaranteed.

It was a blockbuster that put smiles on faces all over the City of Brotherly Love. Per ESPN's Tim McManus, head coach Nick Sirianni lauded the impact that Brown will have on the Eagles offense.

"We're really excited to have [Brown] on this team," Sirianni said. "He's a strong man, he's quick for a big guy and he catches everything. There is no projection. You've seen him do it in the NFL for three years now."

General manager Howie Roseman echoed those sentiments: "Really excited to get him just in terms of how [Sirianni] can use him and his vision for A.J. Brown in this offense and how he complements the other guys that we have here. As you guys may or may not know, his relationship with our quarterback—all exciting things. Looking forward to getting him into Philadelphia."

That relationship Roseman mentioned dates to 2016, when Brown and Hurts were both recruited by Alabama. Hurts chose the Crimson Tide before eventually transferring to Oklahoma. Brown went to Ole Miss.

Now the duo will play together for the first time, and as Hurts told Josh Tolentino of the Philadelphia Inquirer, he can't wait to get out on the field with his new No. 1 receiver.

"He's always been an excellent player since I've known him [before] college," Hurts said. "He's always had the ability to make plays with the ball in his hand, use his body, box out defenders, break tackles. He's a great addition to a great receiver room we have now, and I'm excited."

DeVonta Smith, who led the Eagles in receptions (64) and receiving yards (916) last year as a rookie, said he can't wait to learn from Brown, who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two professional seasons.

"I'm excited, just to learn from a guy like him," Smith told reporters. "Anytime you play football, you watch all the different receivers, just seeing what everybody has in their toolbox. So him being here, just being able to learn from him [is helpful]."

The honeymoon is in full effect.

That Brown adds a new dynamic to the Eagles offense is undeniable. At 226 pounds, he weighs over 50 pounds more than Smith. The latter did what he could for a team that went 9-8 and squeaked into the playoffs in Sirianni's first season, but the depth chart at wide receiver fell off a cliff after him.

Teams will face quite the predicament now. Double Brown, and Smith can use his speed and quickness to wreak havoc against single coverage. Flip the script, and Brown does the same with his size and speed.

Add a very good pass-catching tight end in Dallas Goedert to the mix, and Hurts suddenly has an impressive array of passing-game weaponry. One of the team's weaknesses has become a strength.

The question is whether Hurts can take advantage of it.

The cold, hard truth is that Hurts' legs have been a bigger threat to opposing defenses over his first two seasons than his right arm. His completion percentage climbed considerably last year, but he's still under 60 percent in that category for his career. In 15 starts in 2021, he threw just 16 touchdown passes. There have been missed reads. Inaccurate passes. And a general inability to throw the ball vertically with any consistency.

Even Hurts admitted to reporters that his consistency needs to improve in 2022.

"That's my whole entire approach going into Year 3 for me," Hurts said. "Consistency in this league is everything. Ultimately, the work is being put in now, but that's what I'm chasing."

As The Athletic's Zach Berman reported, for now at least, Hurts has the confidence of the only person whose opinion really matters—Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie:

"I think what you do know is you have a guy that is incredibly dedicated, (an) excellent leader of men. Players around him gravitate toward him. He will do anything and everything to get better and work on every weakness he has and try to maximize every strength that he has. That's why we're committed to Jalen at age 23."

That commitment isn't exactly ironclad. The Eagles didn't draft a quarterback, but no one really expected them to, especially given the perceived weakness of the class at the position. What the Eagles did do (according to reports) was make an offer for Russell Wilson. And kick the tires on a trade for Deshaun Watson…hard.

Those deals didn't happen, but while acquiring Brown is (on paper) a big boost for the Eagles offense, it doesn't help Hurts' job security. In fact, the increased expectations that come with his arrival Hurt(s) it.

OK, that was bad. "Pun"ishable even.

I'll stop now.

There are exactly zero excuses left for Hurts. He has already shrugged off February ankle surgery and proclaimed himself ready for OTAs. The Brown trade emphatically erases any questions about the wideout room. Philly's running backs aren't Cleveland's, but no team in the league averaged more yards per game on the ground in 2021. The team's offensive line ranked inside the top five last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Defensively, the Eagles fielded a top-10 unit last year in terms of yards per game allowed and drafted a pair of potential immediate starters in defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean. On paper (there's that phrase again), these Eagles look every bit as formidable as the Cowboys. Maybe better. There's already chatter that the Eagles (and not Dallas) are the best team in the NFC East.

But as ESPN's Marcus Spears said on Get Up (via Kevin Manahan of NJ.com), if Hurts doesn't get better in 2022, it's all going to be for naught:

"If you think about the move for A.J. Brown and DeVonta (Smith) being drafted last year, Jalen Hurts is in a year like (Dolphins quarterback) Tua Tagovailoa. Both of those guys are in identical years when you start talking about what their teams have done to set them up for success. There is no better way to set a quarterback up than to go get a guy like A.J. Brown ... (but) Jalen Hurts is in a year where he's going to have to prove it."

Now, it's possible that Hurts will improve. That he'll make the most of Brown's arrival. Make better reads. He doesn't have to be perfect. He just has to be more consistent as a thrower for the Eagles to win the division. Make some hay after.

But while there's a big opportunity here, there's big-time pressure too. If the Eagles start slowly, it won't take long for the phone banks on sports talk shows in Philly to light up. If the Hurts we saw face-plant in his first postseason start (or anything close to him) shows up in September, things will get ugly…quick.

We've actually already seen this movie, or at least a variation of it. After the Eagles started last season 2-5, there were all kinds of calls for Sirianni to bench Hurts.

If the 2022 season starts with anything but wins after the trade for Brown, it won't take seven weeks for those calls to ramp back up. 

The Kansas City Chiefs landed one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2022 NFL draft without using a pick on him.

After watching Justyn Ross go unselected in any of the seven rounds, Kansas City capitalized on the Clemson wideout's surprise availability by signing him as a free agent Monday.

Boardroom's Jordan Schultz reported the deal, noting that Ross only went undrafted because of his medical history.

It's understandable that teams were leery about spending draft capital on Ross after he suffered several major injuries during his collegiate career. Nothing was more concerning than the rare spinal condition that was revealed after he took a hit in spring practice leading up to the 2020 campaign.

Ross missed that entire season and was told he may never play football again. 

But the wideout returned in 2021 and appeared in 10 contests while nursing a stress fracture in his left foot that eventually cost him the Tigers' final three games. He posted respectable numbers—leading the program with 46 catches and 514 receiving yards—but didn't appear to be the same game-breaking player who racked up 112 catches for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns across his first two years with the program.

A concerning pro day performance didn't help Ross' draft stock either. He couldn't participate in all the available drills and ran a slow 4.64-second 40-yard dash and posted a vertical of 31.5 inches in the ones he did test in—numbers that aren't indicative of the athleticism he displayed during his earlier years at Clemson.

Despite all this, the Chiefs are still getting a prospect with massive potential.

The Bleacher Report Scouting Department graded the 22-year-old at a 7.9, a score generally reserved for late-first- to second-round draft picks with a great shot at starting as rookies. He was the No. 8 wideout and No. 36 overall prospect on their final big board and their top remaining wideout going into Day 2 of the draft.

No other prospect with a grade in the same stratosphere slipped out of the draft entirely. 

Ross' build—he stands 6'4" and tips the scales at 205 pounds—athleticism, strength, route-running skills, catching ability and competitiveness are all reasons he could become one of the top wideouts in a loaded class, per the B/R Scouting Department.

While Ross isn't a perfect prospect—he's almost exclusively an outside receiver and lacks experience with complex routes in addition to his injury concerns—he was one of the best X wideouts on the board going into the draft.

Although going unselected can be a dubious distinction reserved for heavily flawed players or those with major character concerns, Ross may end up greatly benefiting from this situation. It has allowed him to start his NFL career in an ideal spot, one he likely was able to choose out of several offers given his status as a marquee UDFA target.

Ross did his best work at Clemson with Trevor Lawrence as his quarterback and could see similar results while running routes for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. The Chiefs have ranked among the top five passing offenses in all four of Mahomes' seasons as a starter, including in 2018 when he threw for a league-best 50 touchdowns and earned NFL MVP honors.

While Mahomes is coming off a relatively down year—his 13 interceptions were a career high and his five regular-season losses were the most he's suffered as a pro—he still lit up opposing defenses for over 4,700 passing yards for the second straight season.

This is the perfect time for Ross to get onboarded. The Chiefs are crafting a new offensive identity after trading star receiver Tyreek Hill earlier in the offseason. They also let Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson walk in free agency, leaving Mecole Hardman as Kansas City's only notable wideout returning for the 2022 season.

Although Hill's loss will sting—it will never be easy to move on from one of just four receivers to post at least 450 receptions, 6,500 receiving yards and 55 touchdowns over their first six seasons—the addition of Ross should help ease the blow and get the Chiefs back on track.

The organization has left no stone unturned in its search to replace the superstar wideout, coming to terms with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, retaining Josh Gordon after beginning the process of integrating the mercurial veteran last season and drafting Skyy Moore in the second round.

Adding Ross is the cherry on top, a move that carries almost no risk while providing Kansas City with a potential superstar at a bargain-bin price.

Even if Ross takes time to get up to speed, the Chiefs have the depth to remain competitive offensively while bringing him along. 

Tight end Travis Kelce is still one of the league's most dangerous pass-catchers, and the backfield received a boost with the addition of Ronald Jones II to complement incumbent starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Those assets, coupled with a surprisingly deep receiving corps that could heavily feature Ross—assuming he can stay healthy and return to form—make the Chiefs as dangerous as ever.

According to SI.com's Wilton Jackson, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach confirmed Tuesday that team doctors have medically cleared the receiver to play. It is a big step toward Ross' goal of becoming the first known player to make the NFL with a congenital fusion in his spine.

He will compete against 16 other Chiefs wideouts for a roster spot this offseason. His place in the lineup is far from secure, but Ross has more than enough talent to earn a prominent role within the Kansas City offense when he's at his best. 

The team is already one of the favorites to represent the conference in the Super Bowl and will only see a boost if Ross lives up to his potential.

WWE will present the annual follow-up to its biggest show of the year Sunday night in Providence, Rhode Island with WrestleMania Backlash.

What was once a show that built on the momentum of The Show of Shows and looked to propel stars and stories forward has become a yearly exercise in creative laziness, a rematch-heavy card that does nothing to enhance the company's product.

It's time to scrap it from the pay-per-view schedule altogether.

        

An Exercise in Repetition

If you need evidence as to why it's time to remove the event from the schedule, look no further than this year's lineup.

There are only two matches on Sunday's card that are not exact rematches from WrestleMania: Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss and the six-man tag team match pitting Raw tag team champions RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre against Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns and SmackDown tag team titleholders The Usos.

The latter was thrown together at the last minute when someone realized the biggest star in the company was not scheduled for the show. While it is a wise business move to include Reigns, the decision came at the expense of a tag team title unification match between RK-Bro and The Usos that had been built from the first episode of SmackDown after The Showcase of the Immortals.

Every television segment dedicated to those two teams was deemed meaningless because the advertised match was scrapped in favor of a six-man contest that could (and should) have headlined any random episode of Raw or SmackDown.

Corbin vs. Moss is the culmination of a month-long feud that saw the latter break away from his associate to become a babyface on the blue brand. While it is a first-time meeting and a payoff to a storyline, it's hardly the one you point to while attempting to justify the existence of a special event.

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins has solid creative behind it, but it's a match that fans watched play out on The Grandest Stage of Them All as a Match of the Year candidate. Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair's feud over the SmackDown women's title has underwhelmed and booking an "I Quit" match, in which Drew Gulak has been the focal point rather than intensifying the rivalry, does not help.

Edge and AJ Styles will continue to chase that epic match between two of the greatest Superstars of the last two decades, while Bobby Lashley vs. Omos appears destined to be about as good as their previous showdown.

Worst of all, none of those bouts has a ton of heat or excitement surrounding them. Maybe Rhodes and Rollins, thanks to great performances in the lead-in, but the remainder of the card feels like a solid house-show lineup rather than one that will inspire excitement for the WWE product at a time that traditionally could benefit from it.

So why bother?

Sure, there is money involved and contracts with WWE's streaming partners, but if that is the case, it could produce something unique and different rather than throwing together a PPV card consisting primarily of matches fans have seen before and have minimal interest in sitting through again.

         

Try An Alternative

Once upon a time, WWE produced the King of the Ring tournament as a PPV. It was mostly a placeholder event, a bridge between WrestleMania and SummerSlam, but the gimmick left fans buzzing and drummed up intrigue.

Since the company had such a tournament just six months ago, it could easily look to other options to fill the slot on its live event schedule.

With one of the most talented women's rosters in WWE history, why not look at bringing back Evolution?

In 2018, the company produced its first all-women PPV, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella for the Raw Women's Championship and a Last Woman Standing match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown title.

Considering WWE has several ongoing feuds within its women's division at the moment (Bianca Belair vs. Sonya Deville, Rousey vs. Flair, Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley, Asuka vs. Lynch, Sasha Banks/Naomi vs. Natalya/Shayna Baszler), there are plenty of matches to justify filling a card with. 

It's a schedule that would have fans buzzing a whole lot more than they are for WrestleMania Backlash's effortless slate of rehashes.

If the company does not want to go that route, it could take the NXT Spring Breakin' special it produced Tuesday night on USA and slot that into the Peacock schedule and give main roster creative teams the opportunity to build rivalries and storylines in time for Money in the Bank event on July 2.

There are other avenues for WWE to explore rather than the cheap creative out that Backlash has become. Let other stars shine, look at giving audiences something different or utilize its young talent to fill one of the PPV holes.

Anything is better than repeating matches with minimal build or anticipation for the sake of satisfying streaming partners and making a few extra bucks. Scrap Backlash entirely, develop something new or revisit a previous concept, and produce an event that shows the audience there is even the slightest bit of effort from the creative powers that be.

The result will be much more accepted by the audience than Sunday's ice-cold PPV will be.

If you hoped the flagrant-foul discourse would end after Draymond Green was ejected from Game 1 of the series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, you've got another thing coming.

Less than three minutes into Game 2, Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks was ejected for knocking Warriors guard Gary Payton II to the floor as Payton was attempting a layup. Brooks swung at the ball, instead hitting Payton in the head. Brooks was given a flagrant-2 and ejected; Payton fractured his elbow on the play, staying in the game to shoot his free throws and even making one of them before going to the locker room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR75zA9k_qw

The NBA world had about two hours to enjoy a masterful 47-point Ja Morant performance and the Grizzlies' evening out the most compelling series of the second round before the focus returned to litigating Brooks' foul.

In his between-quarter interview on the TNT broadcast, Warriors coach Steve Kerr called the foul "dirty." After the game, he said Brooks "broke the code" by knocking Payton out of the air and injuring him. Green called it a "bulls--t foul," which is hard to argue with but isn't really a sentiment most people want to hear from him.

"Everybody's going to compete," Kerr said. "Everybody's going to fight. But there's a code in this league, a code that players follow where you never put a player's season or career in jeopardy."

Whether Brooks meant to injure Payton is beside the point, and only he knows the answer there. A play doesn't have to be intentional to be reckless, and Brooks' foul qualifies as that. He deserved to be ejected for it, and if he gets suspended for Game 3 on Saturday, it will be in line with punishments Grayson Allen and Nikola Jokic took for similar plays during the regular season.

Still, it’s clear from the replays that Brooks was making a play on the ball and not intentionally trying to hurt Brooks. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a play he should have avoided.

A player with more experience in these types of games (this is only Brooks’ second postseason) would have known not to time the block while Payton was defenseless in the air. Kerr’s anger over the situation is more than understandable—he just lost one of his most important role players for at least the rest of this series. And at least one of Brooks’ own teammates hopes he learns from it.

Brooks may miss a game; Payton will likely miss the rest of the playoffs. And now, the rest of the series becomes about this. If Memphis wins, Warriors fans and players will never let them forget that one of their players injured one of their team's most important defenders. 

And whatever punishment Brooks gets from the league in the coming days will be compared by Grizzlies fans to Green's foul on Brandon Clarke in Game 1 (and, for that matter, to former Warriors center Zaza Pachulia's foul that injured Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals).

Nobody's hands are clean here. It's unfortunate that this kind of stuff will overshadow what has through two games been a series that has lived up to the hype of the brash up-and-coming Grizzlies, led by Morant, providing a serious challenge to a veteran Warriors team hoping to extend their dynasty.

What happened Tuesday will likely wake up the Warriors if they weren't woken up already. Morant's missed last-second layup in Game 1 could have set up the Grizzlies to take a 2-0 lead back to San Francisco. That they weren't able to win the game in which Green missed the entire second half is probably not a great sign for their chances the rest of the way.

The loss of Payton hurts Golden State, which will have to cobble together minutes as rookie Jonathan Kuminga takes on a bigger role. What Payton brought on defense allowed the Warriors at least somewhat to cover for the several steps Klay Thompson has lost on that end after two major surgeries. Regardless, they still have the talent advantage in the series and have stolen home-court advantage from Memphis.

This series was already physical. Expect it to become even more so after Tuesday's "code-breaking." Relentless, competitive physical play is part of what makes the NBA playoffs great. This sort of back-and-forth, especially when a player gets hurt, is not. This is now going to be a series where the referee assignments make as much news going into the games as the lineup adjustments. Once Brooks' suspension is handed down, it will set off another round of interminable discourse and finger-pointing.

Hopefully, in the midst of all of this, the actual basketball stays as good as it has been.