Remember how I wrote last week that this year’s NFL draft was going to put an emphasis on pass rushers? It still looks that way, but with a new wrinkle.

While Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson remains in play to be the No. 1 pick tonight in Las Vegas, a new candidate has emerged: Georgia’s Travon Walker. That’s who Kevin Hanson has going first to the Jaguars in his final mock draft, though he says it’s “certainly possible” that Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke will end up going with the “safer selection” in Hutchinson.

Like Hutchinson, Walker is a defensive end, but Walker was known in college more for his run-stopping ability than for disrupting the passing game. Hanson writes that Walker has the physical tools to improve as a pass rusher, which is what makes him appealing to teams at the top of the draft. In his final ranking of the top 262 prospects in the draft, Hanson has Walker at No. 8, behind Hutchinson and another edge rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Regardless of who goes first, there are three major story lines to watch as the draft unfolds:

3. The abundance of defensive talent available. If Walker goes first to the Jags, the Lions could take Hutchinson with the next pick—and Thibodeaux won’t be far behind. But they aren’t the only studs available on that side of the ball. Walker’s Georgia teammate Jordan Davis is a freak athlete (4.78 40-yard dash at 341 pounds) and will be the first interior defensive lineman off the board, probably in the middle of the first round. Cornerbacks Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of Cincinnati and LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. are likely top-10 picks. Then there’s Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, who was touted as a possible top-five pick before slow times in the 40-yard dash at the combine and his pro day dampened enthusiasm about him. Hamilton is still one of the best players in the draft, though, and is a lock to go in the top half of the first round.

2. There are three equally hyped offensive linemen who could go in the top 10: Ikem Ekwonu from North Carolina State, Charles Cross from Mississippi State and Evan Neal of Alabama. Hanson has Ekwonu going off the board first in his mock but ranks Neal as the better prospect. One look at Neal in street clothes does a lot to explain why people are so high on him (he’s as lean as a 337-pound man can be) and he started at three positions across the offensive line for the Crimson Tide, so his versatility is enticing. But teams are somewhat concerned about knee and hip issues, according to Albert Breer, which is why Hanson projects him as the last of the three to come off the board. Still, Breer writes that he believes Ekwonu, Cross and Neal “all wind up going inside the top six picks.”

1. Finally, the quarterbacks. I saved them for last for a reason, because we’ll probably be waiting a while for one to be taken tonight. The four-year streak of quarterbacks going first will be broken this year, and it’s likely the first QB won’t be taken until the second half of the first round. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett is Hanson’s top passer, and he has him going to the Saints at No. 19. The only other QB likely to go in the first round is Malik Willis of Liberty (a transfer from Auburn), whose combination of arm strength and mobility has reportedly intrigued the Steelers.

I think everything above makes perfect sense, but the draft is always full of surprises. It’ll be fun to see how it all unfolds tonight.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Alex Prewitt has the story of the NFL draft’s elder statesmen, the seventh-year seniors. … I hadn’t heard of Arizona State’s Rachaad White before, but after Conor Orr’s story, I’m rooting for him. … Tom Verducci writes that there is a very logical explanation for why the Mets keep getting hit by pitches. … Ross Dellenger explains what the NCAA’s Transformation Committee is and the big changes it’s thinking of making to college sports. … Jimmy Traina spoke with Ian Eagle about his viral call of Ja Morant’s epic dunk.

Around the Sports World

The Golden Knights will miss the NHL playoffs for the first time in franchise history. … The State Department issued an update on Brittney Griner after some others detained in Russia were released. … Florida fired its women’s soccer coach after he was accused of abuse. … Giancarlo Stanton hit his 350th career home run, becoming the seventh-fastest player to reach that milestone. … Sage Steele is suing ESPN, claiming the network inhibited her right to free speech. … The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a good story about Penguins writer Rob Rossi, who was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.

The top five...

… things I saw yesterday:

5. Cardinals centerfielder Dylan Carlson’s throw to nail a runner at third

4. Pete Alonso saying after the Mets-Cardinals brawl, “If I wanted to put someone in the hospital, I easily could”

3. St. Louis reliever Giovanny Gallegos joining the brawl by scaling the bullpen fence

2. Draymond Green complaining to the refs after Bones Hyland got away with a low blow, “I got suspended from a Finals game for that”

1. Stephen Curry’s “go to sleep” gesture after his clutch basket to eliminate the Nuggets

SIQ

One of the biggest questions surrounding tonight’s NFL draft is who the first quarterback off the board will be and when they’ll be selected. If the latest mock drafts of Albert Breer and Kevin Hanson are right, we could be waiting a long time for the first QB to be taken. Since the beginning of the millennium, which draft saw the most picks go by without a quarterback being selected?

Yesterday’s SIQ: Who did Nolan Ryan pass on this day in 1983 to become baseball’s all-time leader in strikeouts?

Answer: Walter Johnson. The Washington Senators great recorded 3,509 punchouts in his 21-year career, good for ninth on the all-time list today. Ryan retired with 5,714, 839 more than Randy Johnson in second place.

Here’s how Jim Kaplan compared Walter Johnson and Ryan in a story in the May 9, 1983, edition of SI:

“Like Johnson before him, Ryan is a modest and clean-living young man from rural America who has pitched uncomplainingly for generally mediocre teams. He was born in 1947, the year after Johnson died. As Johnson did, Ryan relies primarily on big heat. Johnson was the celebrated Big Train; Ryan—Nolie or Tex to his teammates—throws the Ryan Express. Oh, there are differences. Johnson threw almost nothing but a sidearm fastball, which all but blinded the hitters of his day. ‘You can’t hit what you can’t see,’ former American Leaguer Ping Bodie marveled. Ryan goes over the top and throws a nifty curve about 30% of the time. But Johnson and Ryan will forever be linked as the most overpowering pitchers of their time.”

The record-breaking strikeout came while Ryan was pitching for the Astros against the Expos in Montreal. The victim was Brad Mills, a light-hitting backup infielder who would go on to have a long career as a coach, including three seasons as Houston’s manager.

Ryan was already 36 when he broke Johnson’s record and went on to pitch 10 more seasons in the majors (with the Astros and Rangers), pushing his margin atop the strikeout leaderboard higher and higher. It’s a record that’ll probably never be broken.

From the Vault: April 28, 1969

The 1968–69 season was the end of an era for the Celtics. Their stunning stretch of dominance dating back to Russell’s rookie year in ’56–57 was coming to a close. As Boston chased yet another title in ’69 (its 11th in 13 seasons), one key player had already announced he was preparing to retire. Sam Jones, who debuted the same year as Russell, was the oldest player in the league at 35 (can you imagine that?) and was hoping to help power his team to one last championship. Little did anyone know, Russell would also retire at the conclusion of the playoffs.

The cover above was printed after the Celtics dispatched the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. (The decisive Game 6 was the first NBA game broadcasted live on national television in prime time.) That set up a showdown against Wilt Chamberlain and the Lakers, and I love how Frank Deford described that matchup in his cover story:

“Through the years the perennial Celtic playoff foes have been, first, Wilt Chamberlain teams (1-6 against Boston) and then the Lakers (0-6). Boston has usually handled them like taking a shot of whiskey and following it with a beer chaser. The mixture, in one gulp, may be somewhat tougher to manage.”

The Celtics weren’t nearly as strong of a team as they had been in previous years (they had a sub-.500 record in the second half of the season and secured the Eastern Conference’s fourth and final playoff spot) but the Los Angeles version of Chamberlain proved no more difficult for the Celtics to handle than the Philadelphia and San Francisco versions. Wilt was held to 11.7 points per game as the Celtics won the series in seven games for their 11th NBA championship.

Russell, who was the player-coach for Boston, announced in the Aug. 4, 1969, edition of SI that he was retiring from both roles, and the Celtics missed the playoffs in ’70 for the first time in 20 years.

Check out more of SI’s archives and historic images at vault.si.com.

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