Draft Season: SI's NFL draft miniseries

Gabe Marks has spent his entire football career hearing how he’s too small and too slow, but no one could ever accuse him of having too little personality. The Washington State wideout earned a reputation for telling it like it is at press conferences throughout his college career, leading to more than a few viral moments. Now he's preparing to be drafted into the NFL, where teams tend to look a little less fondly on unexpected headlines from outspoken players. In the final episode of the season, Lindsay Schnell gives Marks the mic one more time to dig into the person behind the one-liners, a prospect trying to prove he's not all talk. This episode of Draft Season was produced by Alex Abnos. Theme song by Alex Abnos. Logo and artwork by Harry Swartout. This episode uses music by Podington Bear and Chris Zabriske.

To get to the University of West Georgia in tiny Carrollton, Alex Armah had to drive 88 miles from his parents’ house in Dacula, Ga. Dylan Donahue, meanwhile, had to go on a cross-country odyssey that included an NAIA school, a lost season spent on multiple roofs and a junior college. But once Armah and Donahue became teammates along the defensive line at West Georgia in 2015, they clicked immediately. When SI's Andy Staples went to visit them in the lead up to the draft, they’re fighting to reach the NFL—and neither of them expects to play defensive end again.

At USC, 6' 8" offensive lineman Zach Banner nearly topped 400 pounds. Now he's trying to prove to the NFL that he can trim his weight down to a more reasonable number—and keep it there. Lindsay Schnell chronicles Banner's quest, from an upbringing in which he always stood out to a pre-draft process in which he is working to fit into the NFL mold.

The MMQB’s Emily Kaplan tells the story of offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor’s cross-continental evolution from a football-fascinated child in North London to the latest in Texas A&M's long line of NFL-ready offensive linemen.

If anyone in this year's NFL draft is prepared for the pressure and expectations that come with being a top-10 pick, it's Jamal Adams. On the second episode of Draft Season's second year, SI digs deep on Adams to chronicle the making of a sure-thing first-rounder. In-depth interviews with Jamal’s family and mentors, as well as former LSU coach Les Miles and two-time Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark, reveal the big plays that put him on the national radar and the pedigree that has readied him for professional football.

Draft Season returns for a second season as Sports Illustrated takes you behind the scenes of the crazy world of the NFL draft through the eyes of some of its most unique prospects. In this year's first episode, Joan Niesen goes inside the mind of Northwestern WR Austin Carr, a former walk-on turned potential draft sleeper who wears many hats: musician, comedian, master's student, part-time philosopher ... and reigning Big Ten Receiver of the Year. Some NFL teams may be skeptical, but the multi-talented Carr has a lifetime of proof that football is his primary focus.

Top prospects all face the same landmarks on their way to the NFL draft, but they each take their own unique path to get their. Each pick is a player. Each player has a story. Get ready for the return of Draft Season, a podcast miniseries from Sports Illustrated.

It takes a special temperament to handle the scrutiny of draft season with style and grace. For Vernon Hargreaves III, a cornerback out of Florida, the cool came naturally. The 11th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hargreaves has long looked and acted like a first-rounder. In the final episode of Draft Season, SI’s Joan Niesen visits with Hargreaves on draft day as he lands with his hometown team. While he couldn't have dreamed of a better spot, the journey to that point was anything but perfect.

John and Nathan Theus were born 18 months apart, and they have been virtually inseparable ever since. They played on the same football team at the Bolles (Fla.) School before both starting at the University of Georgia. In Athens, they honed their skills as an offensive tackle and a long snapper, respectively, and dreamed of one day making the NFL. Now, the brothers are seeking to join the league in the same year for the first time since Tiki and Ronde Barber did it in 1997. There is no shortage of brothers in the NFL—from the Mannings to the McCourteys to the Gronkowskis—and the Theus brothers would like to add their name to that list. In the fifth episode of Draft Season, SI’s Andy Staples talks to John and Nathan about their experience going through this process together, and all the joy and anxiety that comes with it. How has it helped them navigate the past few months? And where does each brother expect to go in the draft?

Christian Hackenberg has wanted to be a quarterback in the NFL for as long as he can remember. As a former five-star recruit who went on to play at Penn State, he has been on the right track. After a stellar freshman season, Hackenberg was pegged as a future first-round pick, the type of player who could lift an entire franchise. Then adversity hit. Over the next two years Hackenberg struggled to replicate his 2013 success, and his draft stock dipped as a result. His journey began to mirror that of other top-flight quarterbacks before him: He was scrutinized from every possible angle, with scouts questioning if he could live up to his lofty billing. In the fourth episode of Draft Season, SI’s Lindsay Schnell visits Hackenberg and his family to get their thoughts on his path to this point. How does Hackenberg feel he has been treated? And what are his expectations moving forward?

For the past two seasons, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has been one of the most dynamic college football players in the country. However, with the 2016 NFL draft coming up, Boykin is facing pressure to make the move from quarterback to receiver. In the third episode of Draft Season, SI’s Lindsay Schnell speaks with Boykin and those around him as he prepares for the pros. Is he ready to give up the role he has cherished his entire life?

Javon Hargrave has proven his football talent at every level. But the dominant defensive tackle’s road to the NFL draft ran through South Carolina State, a program that produces only a handful of prized prospects per decade. Away from the bright lights of big-money college football, Hargrave’s success as a pro will be forever linked with the program that stuck with him when the powerhouses of the sport looked elsewhere. In the second episode of Draft Season, SI’s Chris Burke visits Hargrave at South Carolina State as he prepares for the draft and reflects on the adversity that sharpened his resolve.

For defensive end Noah Spence, a future in the NFL once seemed like a certainty. After a series of mistakes—taking Molly, a form of ecstasy, and then lying about it—led to his dismissal from Ohio State’s football team, though, he faced a long road back to the gridiron, and to fulfilling a dream he has harbored since childhood. Heading into the 2016 NFL draft, Spence is seen as a red-flag prospect: a player whose talent is without question, but whose off-the-field history is littered with them. As he attempts to convince coaches and executives he has learned his lesson, he told his story to SI’s Andy Staples, who provides a comprehensive report. Draft Season will take listeners behind the scenes of one of the most anticipated events in sports, and will offer a look into the experience of a different prospect every week. Each pick is a player. Each player has a story. This is Spence’s.

The NFL Draft goes deeper than seven rounds. Each pick is a player. Each player has a story. Get ready for Draft Season, a new miniseries from Sports Illustrated. http://si.com/draftseason for more information.