ESPN Daily

For the 2021 NFL Draft this week, we won’t have family cams or yacht cameos. Live and in-person from Cleveland, teams will match with top talent, including a handful of historically great quarterbacks. And we’ll see what franchises who traded up for higher draft picks have in mind. ESPN analyst Mina Kimes previews all the drama. Then, goodbye to a goat who’s truly a GOAT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a strange and turbulent NBA season, and the race for MVP is no different. While Nikola Jokic is leading the pack at the moment, familiar names like Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and even James Harden are all still very much in the race. Today, Zach Lowe breaks down the MVP favorites, and also explains how the New York Knicks, yes, the New York Knicks, became the hottest playoff team in the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After squaring off on Fight Island last year, Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal prepare to fight once again this Saturday at UFC 261 with the welterweight title on the line. Usman retained his belt by unanimous decision the first time around -- but simply beating Masvidal was not enough for Usman: this time, he wants to break Masvidal’s soul. ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye joins the show to share the story of Usman, the man known as the Nigerian Nightmare, and tells us what fuels one of the greatest MMA fighters on the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Deion Sanders was one of the NFL’s most flamboyant characters, where he earned nicknames like “Prime Time” and “Neon Deion.” Now, he’s just finished his first season as head coach at Jackson State (yes, spring football due to COVID-19). Our guest, sports writer Jean-Jacques Taylor, covered Sanders’ career for the NFL and reported on his coaching season for The Undefeated. Then, Myron Medcalf joins us from Minneapolis on the sports world’s reaction to a guilty verdict for the man who killed George Floyd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the weekend, news broke that 12 of the biggest soccer teams from across Europe are attempting to break away and create their own “Super League.” The backlash was immediate and widespread, from politicians and royalty to fans across the world. Sam Borden joins the show to explain if the creation of the new league is even possible, and why it’s got the soccer world in an uproar. Then, Pablo shares the story of Gary Payton, a former NBA guard who doesn’t partake in cannabis at all, yet is the face of one of the most popular legal strains of marijuana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MLB’s 2021 season is delivering wild numbers: eye-popping speed on the average fastball, and crazy-low batting averages. Look no further than the dominance of New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom. ESPN Baseball Insider Jeff Passan tells us why fastballs are faster and sliders more nasty. Hear how it’s all changing today’s game in ways that could harm its appeal, if MLB doesn’t take action. Then, an all-time hockey record is breaking tonight, and the two players involved and their careers couldn’t be more different. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL Draft is American institution. And for the past 40 years, the unmistakable voice of that institution has been Mel Kiper Jr. His “Big Board” and mock drafts have become a rite of spring, a yearly ritual that signals your team will soon be “on the clock.” It is a remarkable climb for someone who used a typewriter to compile draft reports as a teenager, before the NFL Draft was even televised. Mel joins the show to explain how he helped turn his personal obsession into a national obsession…and made us all draft nerds in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against Deshaun Watson have until this week played out through lawyers’ statements and accuser anonymity. Now, more women are attaching their names to court filings and speaking in public. While some of Watson’s corporate sponsors are suspending deals with him, some women are speaking in support of Watson, saying their experiences with him were not inappropriate. Investigative reporter John Barr walks us through the conflicting narratives at play in these developments. Then, ahead of the WNBA draft Thursday night, Kevin Pelton weighs in on the league’s eligibility rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quarterback Trey Lance is projected to be a top-10 pick in this year's NFL draft. But the 20-year-old from North Dakota State has largely flown under the radar, overshadowed by big names like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Lance and his family have bucked trends from the start, and his path to the NFL has seemed fast, and yet also circuitous. Tim Keown shares Lance’s story, and why he's captured the attention of NFL scouts everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daryl Morey, Philadelphia 76ers general manager, co-founded an event 15 years ago that’s become the hub of all things data-driven in sports. At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, researchers, athletes, coaches and commentators swap takes on the digital trends changing how games are played, and how business is done. Morey joins Pablo to definitely not apologize for anything, to discuss the rise of sports analytics, and how data can make teams and the NBA game itself even better. Then, Myron Medcalf gives us a view from Minnesota, where Twin Cities teams postponed games in the wake of the police shooting of Daunte Wright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices