Sports Illustrated Magazine, April 27, 2009 Issue

This is a physical copy of the Sports Illustrated magazine dated April 27, 2009, featuring the NFL Draft Preview. The cover art, titled 'Band of Brothers,' depicts USC linebackers Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, and Clay Matthews in their Trojans football gear. The magazine is printed on standard glossy paper stock with a vibrant yellow background on the front cover. The layout includes the 'Sports Illustrated' masthead at the top, a secondary story headline regarding Roger Clemens in the upper right corner, and a 'Peter King Mock Draft' callout in the lower left. The item shows signs of handling common for its age; the left edge exhibits some minor color loss and wear along the spine, and there is a visible white rectangular mailing label area in the bottom right corner which appears to have been partially redacted or left blank. The corners show slight softening, particularly the bottom right. This issue is notable for capturing three future NFL stars just prior to their professional transitions, marking it as a piece of sports history from the late 2000s football era. The printing quality is sharp with high-contrast color reproduction characteristic of Time Inc. publications of that period.