💪 Arms Race!

Happy FRIDAY! And what a Thursday it was! The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books after a record-breaking night featuring an offensive arms race (quarterback pun intended). Kirk Cousins says his bedtime is 8 o’clock, and he won’t believe who the Falcons took at No. 8 when he wakes up this morning. A few picks later, the Broncos put a Bo on an early QB frenzy. And then the Bills found a wide receiver — for Patrick Mahomes. Also, the Bears might be nasty. On the hardwood, Joel Emiid has Bell’s palsy, but you’ll be the one suffering from facial paralysis when you see his box score. Meanwhile, the Lakers are on life support and, “Abracadabra!” The Magic have returned from the dead. On the ice, the Bolts’ battery is on red, and the Islanders continue to sink. The Blitz is in!

WTF Stat: The Dolphins selected Penn State EDGE Demeioun “Chop” Robinson with the No. 21 pick last night. Robinson was nicknamed “Pork Chop” because he weighed 14 pounds at birth - it was shortened to “Chop” as he got older.

🏈 Eagles and WR AJ Brown have agreed to a 3-year, $96M extension through the 2029 season that includes $84M guaranteed - the deal gives Brown the highest annual average salary for any wide receiver in NFL history

🏈 Arms Race!

2024 NFL Draft (Detroit, MI) - First Round Recap

• Quarterback Crazy! A record six signal-callers were selected in the first 12 picks, including five in the top 10. The Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 and the Broncos grabbing Bo Nix at No. 12 were the biggest surprises, as both quarterbacks were largely considered borderline first-round prospects. But Nix going to Denver wasn’t nearly as shocking as Penix ending up in Atlanta - Penix is 24 years old, and the Falcons signed former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason.

• Offensive Overload: Entering Thursday, the record for most offensive players selected to open a draft was seven (2021). That mark was doubled last night, as the first 14 picks were all used on offensive prospects before the Saints took EDGE Laiatu Latu at No. 15 to begin a run of defensive selections - by night’s end, a record 23 picks were used on offensive players, including seven wide receivers and nine linemen.

• Buffalo’s Bizarre Move: In addition to Atlanta and Denver reaching for quarterbacks, the Bills — who have a glaring need at wide receiver —made a head-scratching move by trading their No. 28 pick with rival Kansas City for the No. 32 pick and then swapping No. 32 for No. 33 with Carolina, moving Buffalo out of the first round. Both the Chiefs and the Panthers used their picks on wide receivers, and the 49ers also took WR Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 - Buffalo will open the second round with the No. 33 pick.

First Round - Full Results

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams (QB, USC)

2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU)

3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye (QB, North Carolina)

4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, Ohio State)

5. Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt (OT, Notre Dame)

6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers (WR, LSU)

7. Tennessee Titans: JC Latham (OT, Alabama)

8. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr. (QB, Washington)

9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze (WR, Washington)

10. Minnesota Vikings (trade from NYJ): JJ McCarthy (QB, Michigan)

11. New York Jets (trade from MIN): Olu Fashanu (OT, Penn State)

12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix (QB, Oregon)

13. Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia)

14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga (OT, Oregon State)

15. Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu (EDGE, UCLA)

16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II (DT, Texas)

17. Minnesota Vikings (trade from JAX): Dallas Turner (EDGE, Alabama)

18. Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims (OT, Georgia)

19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse (EDGE, Florida State)

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Fautanu (OG/T, Washington)

21. Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson (EDGE, Penn State)

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell (CB, Toledo)

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (trade from MIN): Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, LSU)

24. Detroit Lions (trade from DAL): Terrion Arnold (CB, Alabama)

25. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan (OT, Arizona)

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton (C, Duke)

27. Arizona Cardinals: Darius Robinson (EDGE, Missouri)

28. Kansas City Chiefs (trade from BUF): Xavier Worthy (WR, Texas)

29. Dallas Cowboys (trade from DET): Tyler Guyton (OT, Oklahoma)

30. Baltimore Ravens: Nate Wiggins (CB, Clemson)

31. San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall (WR, Florida)

32. Carolina Panthers (trade from BUF): Xavier Legette (WR, South Carolina)

Remaining Schedule

• Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26 at 7:00pm ET (ABC / ESPN2 / NFL Network)

• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 26 at 12:00pm ET (ABC / ESPN / NFL Network)

See the entire remaining draft order here.

NBA Playoffs - First Round, Game 3s

• East | #7 Philadelphia 76ers 125, #2 New York Knicks 114 (NYK leads series 2-1): In a feisty battle at the Wells Fargo Center, Jalen Brunson (39 PTS, 13-27 FG, 13 AST) was feeling it after a quiet two games, and the Knicks led 58-55 at intermission, but it wasn’t enough to slow down Joel Embiid (50 PTS, 13-19 FG, 19-21 FT, 8 REB, 4 AST), who went silly and dropped 18 of his playoff career-high 50 points in a momentum-swinging 3rd quarter in which Philly outscored New York 43-27 to ultimately claim a potential series-altering win on their home floor - Embiid received a flagrant-1 foul for pulling down Mitchell Robinson (2 PTS, 7 REB) on a dunk attempt in the 1st quarter, and it was discovered after the game that he’s suffering from Bell’s palsy (while also playing on a banged-up knee)

• West | #2 Denver Nuggets 112, #7 Los Angeles Lakers 105 (DEN leads series 3-0): After suffering a demoralizing loss at the buzzer on Monday, LeBron James (26 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST), Anthony Davis (33 PTS, 14-23 FG, 15 REB), and the Lakers came out with a vengeance in Game 3 and led by as many as 12 in the first half. But Denver cut the lead to four heading into the break, and Los Angeles fell completely flat, allowing Nikola Jokic (24 PTS, 15 REB, 9 AST) and the Nugs to get whatever they wanted for the final two quarters, as the reigning champs rallied in LA with little resistance to near another sweep of the Lakers - Denver has now beaten the Lakers 11 straight times, and Aaron Gordon (29 PTS, 12-18 FG, 15 REB) scored a team-high

• East | #5 Orlando Magic 121, #4 Cleveland Cavaliers 83: (CLE leads series 2-1): The Magic hadn’t led for a single second this series entering last night, but all of a sudden they’re only one game down. After failing to hit the century in the first two games in Cleveland, Paulo Banchero (31 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST), Jalen Suggs (24 PTS, 9-11 FG, 4 REB), and the Magic served up some home cooking in Orlando and outscored Donovan Mitchell (13 PTS, 1-6 3PT, 7 AST) and the Cavs 60-38 in the second half to bounce back in emphatic fashion - Orlando led 96-61 after three quarters and shot 51.1% from the field compared to Cleveland’s 39.0%

See the full box scores here.

Tonight’s Schedule - First Round, Game 3s

• East | #3 Milwaukee Bucks @ #6 Indiana Pacers 5:30pm ET, ESPN - Series tied 1-1

• West | #4 LA Clippers @ #5 Dallas Mavericks 8:00pm ET, ESPN - Series tied 1-1

• West | #3 Minnesota Timberwolves @ #6 Phoenix Suns 10:30pm ET, ESPN - MIN leads series 2-0

See the entire NBA playoffs bracket here.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round, Game 3s

• East | Florida Panthers 5, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (FLA leads series 3-0): In essentially a must-win game on their home ice, Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period with goals from Steven Stamkos (1 G) and Tyler Motte (1 G), but then Brandon Montour (1 G, 1 A) rattled off three straight scores to take a 4-2 lead in the 3rd, and although Nicholas Paul (1 G) cut their lead to one with 5:10 to play, Matthew Tkachuck (2 G) tucked in his second goal of the night to give the Cats a commanding 3-0 series lead - Sergei Bobrovsky (26 SV) had another impressive outing for Florida

• East | Carolina Hurricanes 3, New York Islanders 2 (CAR leads series 3-0): After blowing a 3-0 lead in Game 2, things went from bad to worse for the Islanders in Game 3, as Brent Burns (1 G) and Dmitry Orlov (1 G) gave the Canes a 2-0 advantage in the 1st period that they never relinquished thanks to a dominant defensive showing and Sebastian Aho’s (1 G) game-deciding goal midway through the 2nd, which was enough to top Pierre Engvall (1 G) and the Isles in Elmont - New York is now a loss away from being eliminated by Carolina in the first round for the second straight year

See the full box scores here.

Tonight’s Schedule - First Round, Game 3s

• East | (M1) New York Rangers @ (WC2) Washington Capitals 7:00pm ET, TNT - NYR leads series 2-0

• West | (P1) Vancouver Canucks @ (WC1) Nashville Predators 7:30pm ET, TBS - Series tied 1-1

• West | (C2) Winnipeg Jets @ (C3) Colorado Avalanche 10:00pm ET, TNT - Series tied 1-1

• West | (P2) Edmonton Oilers @ (P3) Los Angeles Kings 10:30pm ET, TBS - Series tied 1-1

See the entire Stanley Cup playoffs bracket here.

MLB - Top Games

• Oakland Athletics 3, New York Yankees 1: The 10-16 A’s were able to salvage a four-game split with the 17-9 Yanks in the Bronx, as Nick Allen (1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and Tyler Nevin (1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) went deep in the 3rd inning off Nestor Cortes (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 Ks), and Alex Wood (5.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 5 Ks) escaped two bases-loaded jams in the 1st and the 4th to help Oakland stave off New York - the Yankees outhit the A’s 11-6 but went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position

• Milwaukee Brewers 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 5: In a back-and-forth affair, Jared Triolo (1-4, 1 RBI) gave the Buccos a 5-4 lead in the 5th with an RBI single, but Gary Sanchez’s(1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 8th put Milwaukee up for good, as the Brew Crew split a four-game set in Pittsburgh to improve to 16-8 on the year

• Seattle Mariners 4, Texas Rangers 3: Ty France (1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) and Luis Urias (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) each belted two-run shots, Luis Castillo (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks) went six strong, and the Mariners edged out Josh Smith (2-4, 1 HR) and the Lone Stars in their first trip to the Rangers’ ballpark this season after going winless in Arlington last year

See the full MLB scoreboard here and the current standings here.

English Premier League - Lone Match

• Manchester City 4, Brighton & Hove Albion 0: The holders notched another big win in their hunt for a record fourth straight Premier League trophy, as Kevin De Bruyne (17’) broke the ice, Phil Foden (26’, 34’) furthered his career-best scoring season with a brace, and Julian Alvarez (62’) added the finishing touches to blow out Brighton, pushing Man City one point behind Arsenal for the top spot on the table - City (23-7-3, 76 PTS) jumped Liverpool (22-8-4) for second with the win

See the full international scoreboard here and the current EPL table here.

On April 26, 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title and suspended from professional boxing for denying his call to military service. Ali was called to join the armed forces while the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. The army lowered its classification for draftees in 1966, allowing Ali to qualify after he originally failed his test in 1964 due to his dyslexia. In addition to his boxing suspension, Ali was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000. His refusal of service was widely praised by those in support of the civil rights movement, and his prison sentence was eventually appealed. Three years later, Ali regained his boxing license and fought Jerry Quarry in October of 1970 in Atlanta. Ali dominated the match with ease, winning by technical knockout in Round 3 in front of a sellout crowd. Following his return to boxing, Ali became the only three-time heavyweight champion in the sport's history and finished his career with a 56-5 record, including 37 knockouts - RIP to the Greatest!

Friday

• NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3 7:00pm ET, ABC / ESPN2 / NFL Network

• NBA Playoffs: Milwaukee Bucks @ Indiana Pacers 5:30pm ET, ESPN

• NBA Playoffs: LA Clippers @ Dallas Mavericks 8:00pm ET, ESPN

• NBA Playoffs: Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns 10:30pm ET, ESPN

• NHL Playoffs: New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals 7:00pm ET, TNT

• NHL Playoffs: Vancouver Canucks @ Nashville Predators 7:30pm ET, TBS

• NHL Playoffs: Winnipeg Jets @ Colorado Avalanche 10:00pm ET, TNT

• NHL Playoffs: Edmonton Oilers @ Los Angeles Kings 10:30pm ET, TBS

• MLB: Tampa Bay Rays @ Chicago White Sox 9:40pm ET, ESPN+

• PGA: Zurich Classic, Round 2 3:30pm ET, Golf Channel

Saturday

• NFL Draft: Rounds 4-7 12:00pm ET, ABC / ESPN2 / NFL Network

• NBA Playoffs: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic 1:00pm ET, TNT

• NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Magic 3:30pm ET, TNT

• NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat 6:00pm ET, TNT

• NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers 8:30pm ET, ABC

• NHL Playoffs: Carolina Hurricanes @ New York Islanders 2:00pm ET, TBS

• NHL Playoffs: Florida Panthers @ Tampa Bay Lightning 5:00pm ET, TBS

• NHL Playoffs: Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs 8:00pm ET, TBS

• NHL Playoffs: Dallas Stars @ Vegas Golden Knights 10:30pm ET, TBS

• MLB: St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets 4:05pm ET, FOX

• MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Seattle Mariners 9:40pm ET, FS1

• PGA: Zurich Classic, Round 3 3:00pm ET, CBS

• EPL: Chelsea @ Aston Villa 3:00pm ET, Peacock+

Sunday

• NBA Playoffs: New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers 1:00pm ET, ABC

• NBA Playoffs: LA Clippers @ Dallas Mavericks 3:30pm ET, ABC

• NBA Playoffs: Milwaukee Bucks @ Indiana Pacers 7:00pm ET, TNT

• NBA Playoffs: Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns 9:30pm ET, TNT

• NHL Playoffs: Winnipeg Jets @ Colorado Avalanche 2:30pm ET, TNT

• NHL Playoffs: Vancouver Canucks @ Nashville Predators 5:00pm ET, TBS

• NHL Playoffs: New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals 8:00pm ET, TBS

• NHL Playoffs: Edmonton Oilers @ Los Angeles Kings 10:30pm ET, TBS

• MLB: Houston Astros @ Colorado Rockies 4:05pm ET, ESPN

• MLB: Chicago Cubs @ Boston Red Sox 7:00pm ET, ESPN

• PGA: Zurich Classic, Round 4 3:00pm ET, CBS

• EPL: Arsenal @ Tottenham Hotspur 9:00am ET, USA Network

• NASCAR: Cup Series at Dover 2:00pm ET, FS1

Trivia Time Answer

A. Texas. Alabama, LSU, and Washington tied for the most selections in the first round with three players each. Texas, Georgia, and Penn State were the only other schools to produce multiple selections with two apiece. The SEC led all conferences with 11 players represented, followed by the Pac-12 (8), Big Ten (4), ACC (4), and Big 12 (3).

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Enjoy the weekend and see ya Monday!