Saints Select Payton Turner With 28th Pick

The New Orleans Saints selected Houston defensive end Payton Turner with the No. 28 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Turner had an excellent Senior Bowl week by getting after the quarterback, but there are durability concerns. He has plenty of length and ability off the edge […]

Ravens Draft Rashod Bateman With First Of Two First-Round Picks

The Baltimore Ravens selected Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Bateman can play all over the field with inside and outside versatility and is a masterful route-runner with great ball skills, and he can also make things happen after […]

Gregory Newsome II Taken By Browns At No. 26

The Cleveland Browns selected Northwestern cornerback Gregory Newsome II with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. He's the second Northwestern player to go in the first round this year. Newsome wasn't attacked much in coverage in college and must prove that he can stay […]

Jaguars Take Travis Etienne With Second First-Round Pick

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Clemson running back Travis Etienne with the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Jags took Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, as expected, with the No. 1 overall pick to kick off the first round. Lawrence and Etienne will join forces once again […]

Steelers Draft Najee Harris In First Round

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Alabama running back Najee Harris with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Harris was a superstar running back in the college ranks last season. He's an excellent tackle-breaker and plays with a good attitude as a team player. Harris also […]

Christian Darrisaw Heads To Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings selected Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw at No. 23 overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. That's back-to-back Virginia Tech products to come off the board late in the first round. Darrisaw profiles as a left tackle, so he'll help protect quarterback Kirk Cousins' blind […]

Titans Pick Up Caleb Farley At No. 22 Overall

The Tennessee Titans selected Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Farley opted out of 2020 due to COVID-19, and health has been a major question mark for him. He's had two different back surgeries this year and has […]

Kwity Paye Drafted By Colts On Thursday

The Indianapolis Colts selected Michigan edge rusher Kwity Paye with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Paye is a terrific athlete and a physical specimen, but he needs to be coached up to develop secondary moves as an edge rusher. He's not consistent, but he's […]

Giants Go With Kadarius Toney At No. 20 Overall

The New York Giants selected Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Toney scored 11 touchdowns for the Gators in his final collegiate season. He's a flat-out playmaker that should help quarterback Daniel Jones tremendously as a home run […]

Washington Drafts Jamin Davis With First-Round Pick

The Washington Football Team selected Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 draft on Thursday night. One huge season in college secured his spot in the first round this year. He's consistent, tough, smart and has plenty of leadership qualities. Davis has really long arms, […]

Jaelan Phillips Taken At No. 18 By Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins selected University of Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips with the No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. If Phillips can just avoid injuries, this could be a home run pick for the Dolphins defense. The pass-rusher won't overwhelm offensive linemen with his pure […]

Raiders Select Alex Leatherwood In First Round

The Las Vegas Raiders select Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Many analysts were shocked by this pick. He may be more of a guard on the inside at the next level. The Raiders already have Kolton Miller […]

Zaven Collins Goes To Arizona At No. 16

The Arizona Cardinals selected Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Collins is a chess piece on defense with size, so the Cardinals will have plenty of options between him and linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was taken in the first […]

Patriots Take Mac Jones At No. 15 Overall

The New England Patriots selected Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. It couldn't have gone any better for head coach Bill Belichick in the first round on Thursday, as they didn't even have to trade up into the top […]

Luis Robert Activated, Garrett Crochet To Injured List

The Chicago White Sox activated outfielder Luis Robert (illness) from the injured list on Thursday and placed rookie left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet (back) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 26) with an upper back strain. Infielder Danny Mendrick was also recalled from the alternate training site. Robert was put on the injured list […]

49ers Asked About Aaron Rodgers

The San Francisco 49ers reached out to the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday about trading for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but no formal offer was made, and a source said there is "zero percent chance" that the Packers trade the reigning NFL MVP. The Niners are focused on the NFL draft, which begins on Thursday night […]

Shohei Ohtani's Splitter Is Downright Nasty

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani's split-fingered fastball is one of the most unhittable pitches in baseball. Hitters went 2-for-55 with 35 strikeouts against the pitch in 2018. Hitters are 0-for-19 with 18 K's against the pitch in 20 plate appearances so far in 2021. Of 23 swings at the pitch, hitters have whiffed […]

Jake Curhan Has A Heart Issue

California offensive take Jake Curhan (heart), who likely would have been a sixth- or seventh-round pick in this year's NFL draft, has been taken off several draft boards after medical tests showed a heart issue, according to a source. Despite the issues, Curhan has played through it and hasn't had any symptoms. Even though he's […]

George Springer Goes Hitless In Debut

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (quadriceps), who was making his team debut as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, went 0-for-4 in the 8-2 loss. Springer signed a team-record $150 million, six-year deal with Toronto in the offseason but missed time in spring training with a strained […]

Caleb Farley Tests Negative For COVID-19

Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley retested on Thursday and was negative for COVID-19 after he tested positive on Wednesday. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called it "very encouraging." Despite injury concerns -- Farley has had two surgeries on his back -- he has the potential to become a lockdown cornerback at the next level. As a […]

Teams Not Expected To Deal Future Picks

NFL teams are not expected to deal future picks as often during this year's NFL draft, which begins with the first round on Thursday night. An executive said that teams are valuing 2022 draft picks "like gold" because there will be more talent, cleaner player evaluations and more scouting tape. "We could see an all-time […]

Broncos Still In Position To Draft A Quarterback

The Denver Broncos are still in the running to draft a quarterback at No. 9 overall in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, despite trading for Teddy Bridgewater on Wednesday. The Broncos might actually be in a better position to take a signal-caller on Thursday night because of Bridgewater's arrival. "It […]

Seahawks Sign Robert Nkemdiche

The Seattle Seahawks signed free-agent defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche to an undisclosed deal on Thursday to bolster their defensive line. The 26-year-old former first-round pick out of Mississippi in 2016 played sparingly in his first two NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He had a small breakout in 2018 before his season ended early due […]

Panthers Pick Up D.J. Moore's Fifth-Year Option

The Carolina Panthers exercised the fifth-year option for the 2022 season on the contract of wide receiver D.J. Moore on Thursday. This doesn't come as a surprise. Moore just recently turned 24 years old and has put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the team in just his third year in the NFL. Last season, Moore […]

Chances Of A Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Are Remote

Multiple teams are expected to contact the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday to ask about the availability of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, according to sources. However, the chances of him being traded are "remote," according to one source. The 49ers don't currently have plans to trade Garoppolo unless the value of a proposed deal overwhelms them. […]

Giants Pick Up Saquon Barkley's Fifth-Year Option

The New York Giants picked up the fifth-year option for the 2022 season on the contract of running back Saquon Barkley on Wednesday, according to a source. This was a no-brainer decision despite the fact that Barkley missed most of last season due to a torn ACL. It was reported on Wednesday that the 24-year-old […]

Daulton Varsho, Riley Smith Called Up

The Arizona Diamondbacks called up catcher/outfielder Daulton Varsho and pitcher Riley Smith from the alternate training site on Wednesday after the team placed outfielder Kole Calhoun (hamstring) and pitcher Taylor Widener (groin) on the 10-day injured list. Varsho, who is primarily a catcher, could see more time in the outfield with Calhoun sidelined with an […]

Yordan Alvarez Out For Health And Safety Reasons

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is out of the lineup on Wednesday for "health and safety reasons," according to manager Dusty Baker. Outfielder Michael Brantley is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second against Seattle Mariners right-hander Justin Dunn. Meanwhile, Chas McCormick enters the starting lineup in the seventh spot while playing […]

George Springer Making Blue Jays Debut Wednesday

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (quadriceps) has been activated from the injured list and will make his season debut in the leadoff spot as the designated hitter on Wednesday against Washington Nationals right-hander Erick Fedde. Toronto is easing Springer back into the swing of things in his first game of the season, but he'll […]

Seahawks Plan To Keep Russell Wilson

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said at his pre-draft press conference that the team plans on quarterback Russell Wilson being with them "for a good while." Wilson voiced his displeasure with the team's offense and the front office this offseason, leading to speculation that he would be traded before the 2021 season. The Chicago […]