SAN FRANCISCO – Before he was drafted in 2004, Eli Manning went to Bradenton, Fla., where he worked himself into top condition and threw hundreds of passes. Among the players who joined him were Ben Watson, a tight end who was also selected in the first round of that draft, and Anquan Boldin, a wide receiver who had just completed his rookie season.
The players worked out together and became friends, and in the last dozen seasons they have followed each other’s careers. Now they are together again as the three finalists for the 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.