In this weekend's Hot Clicks: Jase Coburn is tougher than breakfast, NFL draft notes and more.
Jase Coburn
Breakfast may help “boost your brain power,” lower blood cholesterol, improve digestion and strengthen bones, among other benefits, according to Johns Hopkins University. And skipping breakfast to save time often backfires; “running on empty” can result in fatigue and nausea.
New Portland State head coach Jase Coburn skips breakfast. But not to save time; he skips breakfast so he can come to work hungry … in a 2003 Chevy Tahoe that doesn’t have heat or air conditioning so he can practice mental toughness.
NFL Draft Notes
The 49ers will select Justin Fields with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night, predicts Sports Illustrated’s Mock Draft 3.0. The prediction comes four weeks after the 49ers traded two future first-round picks to the Dolphins to move up nine spots in search of a long-term replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo. And the prediction comes as Mac Jones sits atop draft odds for the No. 3 pick, narrowly ahead of Fields and well ahead of Trey Lance.
Recent reporting by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is supporting (and/or driving) the odds:
"What I'm hearing is it's Mac Jones and it's in the 90th percentile in terms of likely to be picked," Mortensen said last week. "When they made that trade from 12 to three, that was the pick. But there was a 10% margin, and I'm trying to sort out who has the edge with Trey Lance and Justin Fields, and I was told it's probably Trey Lance over Justin Fields.”
SI’s Albert Breer echoed that sentiment, albeit to a less confident extent, in answering mailbag questions last week:
“I think [Jones] could be the 49ers’ pick. And trust me, through my calls over the last week, some of the reaction I’ve gotten is similar to yours. ‘I don’t think there’s any way in hell they’re taking Mac Jones,’ said one exec. ‘He’s not good enough.’ And that, to me, sort of illustrates the beauty of all this. There’s no right or wrong way to look at a quarterback. Every team has its own way of doing it that reflects what it values in the position.”
Breer also commented on his increased confidence the Falcons stay at No. 4, prospects that could fall, the Bears not making calls to trade up and more.
Other draft notes: NFC team needs … and AFC team needs … The potential steal of the draft is hiding in plain sight … Pro comparisons for top quarterbacks … Updated NFL draft odds for picks, teams, and more.
Not until 2025
If expansion of the College Football Playoff happens, it won’t happen in 2021 or 2022. And it “may well not occur until after the current agreement has expired, which isn’t until after the 2025 season,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN’s Heather Dinich. And if that does happen, it could expand with one of 63 (!!!) different scenarios.
“Some 63 possibilities for change” have been considered, said a CFP news release, citing the possibilities are various branches of 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, and 16-team expansion proposals.
"I think it has to happen because there's just too much dissatisfaction with the current system," Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson told ESPN in January. "Ultimately, I think there will be support for it because not only would the [Group of Five] obviously want it, but clearly there are [Power 5] guys being left out who would like a shot."
Thompson is one of four members of a subcommittee within the playoff committee that has been tasked with evaluating the future format of the playoff. And while he’s only one voice, an unsurprisingly supportive voice as a Group of Five commissioner, he’s still in position to move expansion forward.
LSU is a Mess
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