10 Hyped Young Athletes Totally Handling the Attention
Sports' hype machine has spit out many unwitting participants looking to evade the plague of expectations. Yet a swarm of star athletes have put the major professional leagues in great hands by handling the buzz.
Fans and pundits tend to latch on to certain upcoming players. In some cases, they're drawn to a charming personality and someone who looks the part. Most of the time, a big market draws extra attention, especially if a player lines up at a glamorous position and/or arrives with hopes of shifting a illustrious franchise's poor fortunes.
Not every teenager plastered on magazine covers turns into an all-time great like LeBron James. Far too many No. 1 draft picks left everyone questioning the merit of an entire scouting system. Every team has lived through its share of cautionary tales.
Yet in the early stages of these highly anticipated arrivals, they have left onlookers dreaming ever bigger.
Will these athletes all go down as Hall of Famers? It's far too early to say, but they have certainly validated the immense hype.
Kris Bryant
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In 2015, the Chicago Cubs sparked a heated debate by delaying Kris Bryant's debut until April 17.
Before he took a single major league swing, the third baseman had everyone salivating over a future superstar. Nobody wanted to wait a minute longer to see the 6'5" prospect who crushed Triple-A with a .325/.438/.661 slash line and 43 home runs. The Cubs, however, stashed him in Triple-A to manipulate his service time, buying them another full year before he enters free agency.
It's easy to see why everyone wanted Bryant on the Opening Day roster, but it's just as simple to understand why the Cubs wanted to delay his future payday.
After handily winning the National League Rookie of the Year award with 6.6 WAR, per FanGraphs, he batted .292/.385/.554 with 39 home runs and 121 runs scored in 2016 The 24-year-old is having quite the November, guiding the Cubs to their first World Series title in 108 years before receiving NL MVP honors on Thursday.
The star player on a stacked team poised to turn their curse into a dynasty, Bryant is well positioned to challenge Mike Trout and Bryce Harper as the new face of baseball. (This is where some readers may doze off picturing said face.) If the Cubs stay this dominant, he could become this generation's superior version of Derek Jeter.
Ezekiel Elliott
2 of 10
Ezekiel Elliott left Ohio State with no shortage of expectations. Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson said he "may be the best and most complete running back prospect to come out of college since Adrian Peterson," and that was before the Dallas Cowboys took him No. 4 overall in a time where rushers' stock has dwindled.
On the bright side, he landed in the best spot imaginable behind an exceptional offensive line. Then again, that stellar unit, his unusually high draft slotting and the star on his helmet set expectations through the roof. (Not to mention all the fantasy football players who selected him in the first round.) He would have disappointed Dallas fans by not devouring defenses immediately.
He certainly hasn't let anyone down. Through nine games, Elliott has compiled 1,005 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. The 21-year-old is now receiving MVP buzz, which of course wouldn't be possible without his line.
Just look at Week 10's game-winning 32-yard touchdown run against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the game on the line, not a single Steelers defender touched him. Elliott certainly deserves credit for staying patient and accelerating through the hole, but let's hold off on MVP talk unless Tyron Smith, Ronald Leary, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Doug Free can also split the trophy.
One can still argue that the Cowboys could have invested their first-round pick elsewhere and maintained a strong ground game with a late-round selection, but don't expect anyone to regret choosing Elliott as he pushes for a rushing title and 2,000-yard rookie campaign.
Joel Embiid
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The Philadelphia 76ers waited two years, but their trust in The Process is finally paying off.
Although Joel Embiid injured his foot before the draft, the NBA franchise exuded patience by selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick anyway. Before the center made his delayed debut, they went a combined 28-136 over two arduous seasons.
This year isn't too different for the 2-10 76ers, but at least they have hope in Embiid. Early in his encouraging start, the 22-year-old has averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over a limited 22.1 minutes per game. According to Basketball-Reference.com, as first noted by Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, only an exclusive list of Hall of Fame big men matched his numbers through their first seven career games.
The funny, charismatic youngster is the perfect guy for an emerging team to market around in the social-media age. And considering the Cameroon native didn't start playing basketball until he was 15, he has plenty of room to grow.
With No. 1 pick Ben Simmons sidelined, 76ers fans needed someone else to lift their spirits. Even though his gaudy stats come in a high-usage role, Embiid has delivered.
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Katie Ledecky
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"Katie Ledecky’s place in modern-day swimming is indisputable. She is simply the best swimmer on the planet today."
Sports Illustrated's Brian Cazeneuve wrote that before she won four Olympic gold medals and set two world records in Rio de Janeiro.
Talk about a high bar. Before starting college, the 19-year-old entered the 2016 Summer Games as the perennial favorite. She met expectations by not just beating, but demolishing the competition in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter individual freestyles.
In the longest of the races, she broke the 800-meter world record and finished 11.38 seconds ahead of silver medalist Jazmin Carlin. Nobody else was close enough to appear in NBC's shot as Ledecky made history.
Although no longer occupying the national spotlight, Ledecky is still dominating. The Stanford freshman recently set a school record (9:10.49) by over 20 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle, finishing nearly 35 seconds before teammate and runner-up Megan Byrnes.
Completely unfazed by the Olympic attention, Ledecky will now walk into the 2020 Tokyo Games as a 23-year-old veteran and the United States' biggest superstar. How's that for hype?
Marcus Mariota
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It's almost weird that Marcus Mariota wasn't hyped more before his recent breakout.
The 2015 No. 2 pick took a back seat to No. 1 selection Jameis Winston, and NFC East newcomers Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz surpassed them both on the buzz scale this season. Nevertheless, the former Oregon Ducks passer joined the NFL after tallying 58 total touchdown (42 passing, 15 rushing, 1 receiving) during his Heisman-winning season.
Following a solid rookie campaign which didn't overly encourage nor discourage Tennessee Titans fans, he suddenly has them envisioning a playoff berth. The Titans have scored 202 points over the past six games, during which the 23-year-old has amassed 19 touchdowns with three interceptions.
Only Dallas has run more times than Tennessee, but the second-year signal-caller is still broaching 4,000 passing yards while posting a 64.0 completion percentage. He has risen to No. 7 on the quarterback-rating leaderboard, but only Tom Brady wields a higher mark among AFC passers.
If he keeps this up, the 5-5 Titans look poised to usurp the overachieving Houston Texas, who are 6-3 despite a minus-27 point differential and abysmal quarterback play from Brock Osweiler. Mariota's popularity would certainly skyrocket if he took them to their first postseason since 2008.
Connor McDavid
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A Connor McDavid only comes around so often. Even when success seemed preordained, the teenage phenom still needed to meet the sky-high expectations.
Deemed "a tank-worthy prospect" by Yahoo Sports' Nicholas J. Cotsonika, the OHL prodigy had several NHL franchises hoping for a 2015 lottery miracle. Sherry Bassin, general manager of the OHL's Erie Otters, described the special talent beforehand to ESPN Insider Corey Pronman in 2014.
"First time I saw him, he took me out of my seat,” Bassin said. “He has incredible quickness, speed, ability with the puck at full speed, unselfishness and he has the rare two-second advantage that he sees the play before it happens. There are so many special characteristics about him. He's a generational player."
The Edmonton Oilers won the McDavid sweepstakes following their sixth straight losing season. So far, the center has looked every bit like a future superstar with 67 points over 62 career games. Early in the season, he has the 9-7-1 Oilers angling for their first playoff bid since 2006's Stanley Cup Final appearance with 14 assists and two game-winning goals.
He's 19 years old. Given his exceptional speed, crisp skating and sharp hockey acumen, the sky's the limit.
Neymar
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Those who have followed Neymar's career may already view him as a grizzled veteran. The Brazilian star started playing professionally in 2009, when the list's other first- and second-year pros still attended school.
He joined Santos FC with immense expectations as a 17-year-old, and he quickly rose in fame as a worldwide celebrity. Two years ago, ESPN FC's Rory Smith wondered if the perception of his superstardom coalesced with reality:
"His talent is not in question. What is up for debate is whether the hype around him -- the Twitter frenzy, the sponsorship deals, the transfer tussle and the YouTube goal compilations -- has affected our perception of that talent. Does the actual Neymar match up to the Neymar as he is presented in adverts? Does the reality of Neymar live up to the concept of Neymar?
"
He cleared that up this year by netting four goals and three assists in six Olympic matches for the hosting Brazil. During a thrilling gold-medal contest with Germany, he clinched victory for his country with the game-winning penalty kick.
Neymar hasn't only shined in Rio de Janeiro this year, notching six goals and 10 assists in 13 matches for Barcelona. It's a scary thought for everyone else, but he's just now approaching his peak.
Kristaps Porzingis
8 of 10
First off, shame on New York Knicks fans (and Stephen A. Smith) who jeered Kristaps Porzingis on draft night. He was the right choice at the time for a franchise needing a young cornerstone rather than a solid piece, and those same people who booed despite knowing nothing about him quickly changed course after watching the Latvian big man in action.
Expectations quickly soared through Madison Square Garden's roof. Dirk Nowitzki didn't help temper the Big Apple's hype machine by validating the early comparisons, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley.
"It's more than fair," Nowitzki said after facing Porzingis for the first time last December. "He's probably way ahead of the curve. When I was 20, I was scared to death out there...He's almost averaging a double-double, so he's way better than I was at 20. So the comparison's probably unfair to me."
After displaying mouth-watering skills for a 7'3" rookie, the No. 4 pick entered his sophomore season with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The 21-year-old continues to improve, registering 20.3 points per game with a 49.2 field-goal percentage. What are defenses supposed to do about someone his size who drains 2.2 three-pointers per game?
Porzingis once again earned Nowitzki's praise after his 24 points and 11 boards led the Knicks to a 93-77 victory over the Dallas Mavericks with the future Hall of Famer sidelined Monday night.
“I am a huge fan of his game. Obviously the sky is the limit for him,” Nowitzki told Begley after watching Porzingis imitate his signature fading jumper. “He's got the deep ball. He’s got the in-between game. He is working on his post-ups. He is the real deal.”
Tall enough to touch that elevated ceiling on his toes, he is posed to give the Knicks their biggest star since Patrick Ewing.
Dak Prescott
9 of 10
Are people really getting excited about a fourth-round rookie having a great preseason? Cowboys madness strikes again.
The Dak Prescott hype train hit full speed before he took a regular-season snap. Even though the exhibition games don't count, he earned everyone's attention by going 39-of-50 for 454 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. But still, it's only preseason. Let's calm down.
Actually, let's get excited. In Tony Romo's place, Prescott has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 8.35 yards per attempt. He didn't throw an interception until Week 6, setting a rookie record for most throws before his first pick.
Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman suggested that his season is surpassing Ben Roethlisberger's 2004 arrival as the best ever from a first-year quarterback.
"In Dak Prescott, I see the most calm, accurate leader as a rookie quarterback I've ever covered. That includes Roethlisberger," Freeman wrote. "The possibility that Prescott may become the new rookie standard is also becoming clear to coaches and executives around the league."
Like Elliott, he owes Dallas's offensive line immense gratitude. Yet the two Cowboys newcomers are the runaway top Rookie of the Year candidates. That's probably setting their sights too low, as they look like a legit title contender with an NFL-best 8-1 record.
Corey Seager
10 of 10
On July 7, 2015, Baseball America named Corey Seager MLB's best midseason prospect. On Sept. 4, he went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI during his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fast-forward to present day, and he's a unanimous NL Rookie of the Year winner who finished third behind Bryant on the MVP ballot.
After acing last year's September call-up test with a remarkable .337/.425/.561 slash line, the shortstop continued his onslaught in 2016 by batting .308/.365/.512 with 26 homers and 105 runs. His 7.5 FanGraphs WAR ranked No. 5 among all position players behind Trout, Bryant, Josh Donaldson and American League MVP Mookie Betts.
A top prospect in a big market, Seager also had to contend with pressure from those who would first know him as Kyle Seager's little brother. The Seattle Mariners' All-Star third baseman might now get recognized as Corey's older sibling.
The 22-year-old also assuaged fears of him needing to slide over from shortstop to the hot corner. He instead is slated to headline the position's renaissance alongside Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Manny Machado and Addison Russell. Seager just might be the best of the bunch.
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