SI Goes for Sure Thing, Fails

I can't fault them too much but it has to be pointed out. In last week's issue of Sports Illustrated there was an article on the OMG GREATEST LBs EVER!!! You know who I'm talking about. USCs Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews. In fact, they graced the cover.

Sports Illustrated cover from April 27, 2009.

The article on the inside, written by Austin Murphy, basically goes on and on how these are some of the greatest collegiate LBs of All-Time. OK. Sure. Present almost always stumps past. Anyway, the abbreviated introduction for Murphy's article about the beastly USC 'backers goes like this:

History will be made in this year's NFL talent lottery when USC linebackers BRIAN CUSHING, CLAY MATTHEWS, and REY MAUALUGA become the first trio of players from the same unit to be selected in the first round. The burning question: Who comes first?

I'll answer the question first. It was Brian Cushing, who went 15th overall to the Houston Texans. Next came Clay Matthews, whom the Packers selcted with the 26th pick acquired from New England through Baltimore. What happened to Maualuga?

He fell to round two.

Yep, the one of the OMG LBs wasn't selected in the first round. No one saw that coming.

USC MLB Rey Maualuga, thought to be a sure-fire first round selection last Saturday, dropped into round two. His free fall ended when the Bengals selected him 38th overall. He now gets to play with former teammate, and Cincinnati's first round pick in 2008, Keith Rivers.

Let's revisit something.

History will be made in this year's NFL talent lottery when USC linebackers BRIAN CUSHING, CLAY MATTHEWS, and REY MAUALUGA become the first trio of players from the same unit to be selected in the first round.

Red emphasis mine, bold theirs.

Better luck next year, Austin (and/or SI).

If I were the editor in charge of reviewing this prior to publication there is no way I would have allowed them to publish that introduction. First off, the draft is a tough thing to predict. I, along with countless others, do mocks to test our football knowledge. They're for fun. This article, circulated to millions of people, guaranteed that all three would be taken in round one. "History will be made...". Didn't happen and now they must clean the egg off their face. If anyone besides me noticed. I'll probably find out later today when the new SI is in my mailbox. I'm sure someone else noticed it and immediately sent SI a kind letter.

Secondly, there were some murmurs and rumors circulating that Clay Matthews could fall in to round two for the last month or so. So this was not a slam dunk like SI wanted you to believe. In the end they pay.

Not a big thing but I just wanted to point it out.