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Georgia Bulldogs running back Elijah Holyfield has reportedly found a home in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Panthers will sign Holyfield after he went undrafted. 

Holyfield, the son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield, had an excellent junior season for Georgia, rushing 159 times for 1,018 yards (6.4 YPC) and seven touchdowns. He paired with D’Andre Swift (1,049 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns) to give the Bulldogs a scary one-two combination in the backfield. 

That put Holyfield on the map for NFL teams after he largely served as a backup for Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in his first two years, making him an intriguing prospect at this year’s draft. And Holyfield took advantage of having two future NFL players ahead of him on the depth chart early in his Georgia career.

“I learned how to practice, how to go through the offseason and how to get better,” he said in early February, per Andrew DiCecco of Eagles Wire. “They never peaked out—they always continued to get better every week.”

“It was a very humbling experience,” he added. “I think it taught me to keep working, no matter what. I knew my time would come eventually. I definitely think it’s helped me become a better football player, learning different things that I wouldn’t have learned had I went somewhere else.”

After two years of waiting, however, Holyfield took advantage of his time to shine, and after a solid junior season, he decided to turn pro.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller and Josh Norris of Rotoworld broke down what Holyfield brings to the table at the NFL level:

And having a former heavyweight champion as a father taught the younger Holyfield a thing or two about work ethic, too:

Carolina will be banking on that work ethic, combined with his athletic abilities and the production he showcased in 2018, leading to a long and successful career in the NFL.

Holyfield doesn’t move the needle like some of the higher-profile running backs taken, but he’s a solid player who has shown steady improvement and could make an impact at the next level. 

There’s little question he’ll work hard in an effort to do just that.

It will be an uphill climb for Holyfield to make the Panthers’ 53-man roster out of training camp. Running back is one position they have solid depth, led by Christian McCaffrey. They also drafted Jordan Scarlett out of Florida in the fifth round. 

The upside for Holyfield is he will go into camp with a team and an opportunity to make an impression. Even if he can’t break through with the Panthers, other clubs will be keeping an eye on his performance to see how his skill set might be able to help them heading into the 2019 season.

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Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson is battling an ankle injury that could jeopardize his availability for Game 1 of the team’s second-round series against the Houston Rockets, according to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II.

Thompson reported Thompson sprained his ankle in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 129-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. The ankle “was still pretty bad” on Saturday morning.

Immediately after Game 6, Thompson was optimistic about suiting up against the Rockets on Sunday, per 95.7 The Game:

Compounding matters, Stephen Curry rolled his right ankle as well Friday. According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Curry was visibly limping during his postgame press conference but indicated he expects to play in Game 1.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Saturday both Thompson and Curry are considered questionable for the time being, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Logan Murdock:

The Clippers gave Golden State a far tougher fight than anybody expected, which is worrying for the Warriors when the level of competition increases—such as it will in the second round.

Most concerning is Golden State’s 111.5 defensive rating in the opening round, per NBA.com. Thompson specifically will be tasked mostly with guarding James Harden or Chris Paul, so his health will be a key factor for the Warriors defense.

Nobody can touch the Warriors at full strength. Even when they’re not at their best, they possess a singular talent in Kevin Durant who can paper over whatever cracks they might have. Durant finished with 50 points in Friday’s victory.

Take one of Golden State’s key players out of the equation and the team becomes more vulnerable. The degree to which Thompson and Curry are hurt will be a dominant storyline in the second round.

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Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill agreed to an informal “work ethic contract” with Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli before the franchise selected him out of UCF in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft Friday night.

Marinelli told reporters it’s a pact with all the team’s defensive linemen and is not at all related to outsider concerns about his “football character and maturity.”

“I do this with every guy from a free agent to a draft pick, just my own copy of it, back and forth, front and back. It talks about how we play, what I ask of you in practice, day of games, all of it. I am very clear of it. I said to him, ‘If it doesn’t fit you, tell me now, because you will not be happy here. I told him to keep it, and he said, ‘Coach I feel great about this.’

“It’s just about how you play. It’s a lot of different things, but how you carry yourself, how you play in our system. The effort and the want to, every snap. We’re unique that way—how hard we practice and play. I usually see that on film early with guys. He really plays hard. If you watch his tape, he really hustles. That’s the passion we want in these guys.”

Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm clarified that it was a “handshake deal.”

Hill tallied 36 total tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks across 12 appearances for the Knights during his junior season in 2018.

But he started only one game, raising questions about why one of UCF’s most talented defenders wasn’t on the field consistently.

In December, Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel reported the Florida native “started to gain a reputation, deserving or not, for being lazy and having attitude issues” during his sophomore season in 2017. Then he lost his starting spot when Josh Heupel took over the program from Scott Frost before the 2018 season.

“And then having things happen … and having the coaching change happen and how some people started to spell it out in different ways about me in different situations and stuff like that,” Hill said. “But I don’t feel like I got a bad rap. I just feel like some people didn’t really support me the way they should have.”

He mentioned Frost and his staff while declaring for the draft in early January, but he didn’t mention Heupel or his staff, furthering the belief a schism had developed.

Looking ahead, Hill should provide depth for the Cowboys behind Maliek Collins and Tyrone Crawford at defensive tackle as a rookie.

He possesses the potential to eventually become a three-down starter for Dallas up front. That could happen as early as 2020 with Collins being a potential unrestricted free agent after next season.