The NFL draft is barely a week in the rearview mirror and is about the furthest thing away on annual sports calendars from happening again, so naturally we're talking now about … the NFL draft?
Yes, I've largely ignored all the 2021 draft projections. But now more than ever, anything with a local angle and on-field focus tends to catch my eye.
So here's something: The site Foxbet.com created a prop bet with odds on the most likely No. 1 overall pick in 2021. The clear favorite, of course, is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
But 30 players are listed in all. And down toward the long shots, you'll find a very familiar name: Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman, at 100 to 1 odds.
Wait, you might be thinking. Didn't Tyler Johnson, the Gophers' other star receiver in 2019, just get drafted in the fifth round? What gives?
Well, Bateman has the size (6-2, 200-plus pounds), hands and big-play ability to attract more NFL chatter (even though I think Johnson was a steal for Tampa Bay and will be a very good pro).
He's been termed a "dark horse" to be the first receiver taken next year and has shown up as a possible first-round selection on some of those "way-too-early" 2021 mock drafts I've been trying to avoid.
Even so, having him in the mix as a No. 1 overall pick is pretty far-fetched. Only three WRs have been the No. 1 pick in NFL history, and the most recent was 1996 (Keyshawn Johnson).
