Adrian Peterson is ESPN The Magazine's 2005 Next Athlete; Plus - The Magazine's Super Bowl XXXIX Preview.

NEW YORK -- The February 14 Issue of ESPN The Magazine is on Sale Wednesday

NEXT 2005:

Each year, ESPN The Magazine's trademark NEXT issue looks ahead to the year that will be and identifies those athletes whose talent and style will shape the landscape of sports in the coming year. Last year, Kazuo Matsui led a group that included Olympic gold medallists Michael Phelps and Jennie Finch as well as soccer prodigy Freddy Adu, and Wimbledon champ Maria Sharapova. This year Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson is at the head of the NEXT class.

COVER STORY:

Class Act. True freshman. True prodigy. At 19, Sooners RB Adrian Peterson defied logic and physics to finish second in the Heisman voting. It's star quality and infinite promise that qualify him - and five others - for The Magazine's NEXT Class of 2005. The Magazine's Gene Wojciechowski reports.

NEXT CLASS OF 2005:

What other athletes are on the cusp of shaping sports? What does it take to transcend borders? The Magazine thinks these five athletes are the ones to watch in 2005:

--Carlos Beltran - The 27-year-old center fielder just signed a seven-year $119 million, no-trade contract with the New York Mets. Ignore the numbers he put up in KC and Houston and watch him run, throw and hit instead. Remember what he did for the Astros last post-season and imagine the highlights-to-come.

--Sydney Crosby - The 17-year-old Canadian hockey sensation has been dubbed the next Wayne Gretzky. When Crosby's title game jersey was swiped, the hunt for the shirt and the perp was front-page news in Canada. Speculation about where he and his found jersey will play never let's up.

--Ben Roethlisberger - The 22-year-old rookie quarterback made 2004 a season of firsts - first NFL quarterback to win Rookie of the Year; the first to start his career with 14 consecutive wins; the first rook to lead the league in jersey sales. If he keeps getting better, what will Big Ben do next?

--Dwayne Wade - At 6'4", Wade possesses both the power and the speed to brush off little guards like flies, muscle to the hoop, absorb contact and still throw down some over-the-shoulder side-ways dunks that will leave you speechless. Wade's smarts plus the addition of a certain big man have put Miami back on the basketball map.

--Mike Williams - After spending a year on the sideline due to NCAA rules, receiver Williams is poised to become the impact rookie of this year's class. Referred to as a cross between Chris Carter and Michael Irvin, Williams has spent the year working out and prepping for the NFL with the hopes of seeing his name at the top of the draft board.

NEXT Report Card. Okay, so maybe we muffed with Matsui (although Mets fans were certainly complaining, er, talking about him). But last year, as you'll see, NEXT was clearly now.

Million Dollar Baby. Our writer wanted to know what sport his toddler could dominate. So he set out into the brave new world of gene testing. The Magazine's Tom Farrey reports.

Teen Titans. Six-year-old Dylan Oliver calls everyone "dude." We call him good enough to join six teenagers as members of Generation NEXT. The Magazine's Lindsay Berra reports.

SUPER BOWL XXXIX PREVIEW:

Power Struggle. Mike Vrable and Brian Westbrook helped get their teams to Jacksonville. They'll be key to winning the Lombardi Trophy, too. The Magazine's Jerry Bembry and Eddie Matz report.

Edgewise. The Eagles have a plan to slow down Corey Dillon. That's just one of the games within The Game, as broken down by ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski.

Flash Points. Hard-nosed Ravens or high-flying Rams? Those are the models for SB success. Find out where your team fits. (Hint to Raider Nation: Charles Woodson doesn't).

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