It was’t long ago that scores of experts—ESPN guru Mel Kiper, Jr. among them—were vaulting D.K. Metcalf into the top 10 picks of the 2019 NFL Draft. The undisputed breakout star of the NFL Combine last month, the Ole Miss wideout’s chiseled frame and superhero workout numbers made him one of the most alluring physical prospects in recent history.
But after the New England Patriots announced the final pick of the first round Thursday night in front of a raucous crowd of over 100,000 stretched out along Nashville’s Lower Broadway, both Metcalf and his fellow Rebel receiver A.