Morning Hot Reads: Faces of the League

ANDSCAPE looks at the NFL Draft under the header, "NFL draft confirms Black quarterbacks as face of the league." For the "second time in as many years," two Black quarterbacks are expected to be selected among the top three picks in the three-day NFL Draft that begins tonight, and three "could go in the first round." In the last two NFL seasons, Black passers won both the AP league MVP and the Super Bowl MVP awards. The league’s "best player," Patrick Mahomes, is a Black quarterback. The league’s "best newcomer," the Texans' C.J. Stroud, is a Black quarterback. After being "sidelined because of discrimination for most of NFL history," Black quarterbacks "now dominate pro sports' most successful league," and Caleb Williams of USC, Jayden Daniels of LSU and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington "are eager to join the accomplished group."

More on the NFL Draft:

• Decades ago, the NFL draft dialed up its 'pizazz' on giant helmet phones.
• Meet Eliot Wolf, the man forming the Patriots' future and his legacy at the NFL Draft.

Also:

• Plenty to be excited about in TopSpin 2K25, which successfully recreates the joy (and frustration) of tennis.
• Robert Kraft’s fight against antisemitism began long before Oct. 7.
• The Caitlin Clark Effect and the uncomfortable truth behind it.