Matt's Draft Journal

USC safety Marvell Tell (Harry How/Getty Images) To begin the 2018 NCAA Football season, sorting through some of the top returning performers and prospects at each position I've created a "watch list" of draft-eligible players. While throughout the season and in the future I will create content that provide an in-depth focus on a specific group of players who identify as the elite prospects at each spot — specifically with the potential to be first and early round picks — this positional watch list is to serve as a broad view of a number players. Serving as a preliminary group of names for those who are "draft-eligible" to have in the back of your mind during the upcoming season of college football soon to start. Just because a player's name is found on this list doesn't guarantee they will be called during the 2019 NFL Draft. The opposite also holds true, as a prospect whose name may go unsighted here doesn't necessarily preclude them from...

The 2018 Perfect Game All-Americans 52 of the top high school baseball prospects graced the field of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, on Sunday, August 12th, playing in the 16th edition of Perfect Game All-American Classic. Some of the best players currently playing in Major League Baseball have competed in the contest as amateurs before going on to bright professional careers, such as: Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen, Madison Bumgarner, Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor, and Rick Porcello. Perfect Game provides countless showcases, tournaments, and leagues across the country in which many youth baseball talent participate. With thousands of kids each year performing at the various events in hopes of being chosen to play in the All-American Classic, just ahead of the beginning of their senior year. There are a number of functions that take place leading up to the game, including: a home run derby sponsored by Rawlings, an annual awards banquet honori...

Former UNC wing Theo Pinson signs with Brooklyn Nets (Nathan Klima/The Daily Tar Heel) Of the 24 players on the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game Roster, only three prospects completed their career competing four seasons at the same college program it committed to. Theo Pinson was one of the few to remain dedicated to the game of college basketball from beginning to end, along with the his teammate Joel Berry and arch-rival throughout the entirety of their NCAA career in Duke's Grayson Allen — another in Reid Travis is now playing as a graduate transfer at Kentucky, after earning his degree from Stanford. Since the introduction of the rule in the NBA which regulated all American amateur players to be a year removed from high school before entering their name in the draft, the basketball landscape has seen a rise in the trend known as "one and done". The term refers to the prospect who spends one season playing college basketball before moving onto the profe...