Mike Maccagnan attended his first Sam Darnold game on Oct. 27, 2016, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but he certainly wasn't there to scout the redshirt freshman. No, he flew cross country to check out the other quarterback, Cal's Davis Webb, but what he saw that night from Darnold -- more important, what he heard about him -- would resonate for the next 18 months.
It culminated last Thursday when the New York Jets, blown away that Darnold wasn't picked by the Cleveland Browns or New York Giants, happily took the former USC star with the third overall choice in the NFL draft.