This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes.
The only appropriate way to start this column is by congratulating Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson. These three Black quarterbacks went No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 in the NFL draft on Thursday, respectively. Of course, you probably knew that already.
I don’t know if we’ve ever seen three Black quarterbacks drafted this high before, but I’m pretty sure we’ve never seen three Black quarterbacks drafted this high before. History says I’m probably right.
I know we’ve come close. The 1999 NFL draft had Donovan McNabb at No. 1, Akili Smith at No. 2 and Dante Culpepper at No. 11. That was great. But that’s not quite this.
The fact that the 1999 draft even played out that way feels like a miracle alone. That certainly wasn’t the norm. That happened during a time when Black quarterbacks were mercilessly picked apart. They were chastised for their lack of leadership, had their acumen constantly questioned and were even asked to switch positions in some cases. Some of those tropes still exist today — just ask Lamar Jackson.
Here’s the thing. To be Black in America has always meant needing to be exceptional, no matter your circumstances.
Growing up, my parents taught me that I had to be twice as good as everyone else twice as often, because, even if you are exceptional, you might not be rewarded for it. So you had to be better than that.
That’s what life is like for me. I’m not an NFL quarterback.
The league’s first starting Black quarterback played for the Denver Broncos in 1968. It took 49 more years for every team to have at least one Black starter at the position in its history. That’s the history Black quarterbacks are up against.
It’s a history that says if you’re anything but perfect, there’s absolutely no way you can do this job. You’re not good enough. And it’s not because you’re not skilled enough or you’re not smart enough. It’s because you don’t look the part. And that’s a hard thing to fight against.
But the thing is for the first time this year it felt like that history didn’t matter. There was no silly “You Choose” Sports Illustrated cover. Young, Stroud and Richardson were undeniable and it wasn’t because they were perfect — they’re actually far from it.
Bryce Young is too small. Anthony Richardson is inaccurate. C.J. Stroud is probably the most balanced among the 3 of them, though there are legitimate questions about how he handles pressure in the pocket.
None of that mattered. These guys were just … it. With their flaws and all. That’s my kind of progress.
Quick Hits: NFL Draft Grades…Feeling bad for Will Levis…Draft winners and losers…and more
— Our Christian D’Andrea and Robert Zeglinski have been on it with their draft grades. They love my Eagles.
— Poor, poor Will Levis. He probably wishes he stayed out of the Green Room now.
— Here are the winners and losers from the first night of the NFL draft, including Lamar Jackson who got PAID.
— We drafted Star Wars content. Read this, fellow nerds.
Enjoy the weekend.
