How skill positions in NFL Draft will impact fantasy owners
Our Essey Tire fantasy sports podcast examines the first round of the NFL Draft and how some of these incoming rookies will impact your fantasy leagues. With six receivers taken in the first round and a run on running backs expected in the second round, the answer is: significantly! Jeff...
6 intriguing players available on Day 2 of NFL draftVideo
Six wide receivers were taken in the first round of the NFL draft and another half dozen could go on Day 2, when rounds two and three are completed. The best safeties are still available because none were taken on Day 1. And there are plenty of good running backs...
First Call: ESPN’s NFL Draft production was tremendous, with beautifully natural awkwardness
For Friday’s “First Call,” I’ve got to credit the combined forces of the NFL Network, ABC and ESPN. That was quite an undertaking Thursday night for the virtual reality NFL Draft broadcast. It was so much smoother than I thought it was going to be. All things considered, the multiple...
NFL draft: Joe Burrow goes first overall to Bengals
No surprise atop this NFL draft as the Cincinnati Bengals selected Joe Burrow, quarterback of national champion LSU, as the centerpiece of yet another rebuilding job. Burrow, the third straight Heisman Trophy winner taken with the first overall selection, joins a team that went 2-14 in 2019 under first-year head...
Burrow goes No. 1 to Bengals in NFL Draft, Tua at No. 5 to DolphinsVideo
For all the uniqueness of this NFL draft, including the angst over a potential communications fiasco, things looked and sounded pretty normal Thursday night. Quarterbacks were in demand. Ohio State(the top three picks played there) and the Southeastern Conference (a record 15 picks) dominated. The Patriots traded out of the...
ESPN analyst Todd McShay has coronavirus, will miss NFL DraftVideo
An NFL Draft being conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic already figured to have a much different look and feel compared to the same event in past years. But that sentiment — and the impact of the pandemic — came even further into focus Thursday when ESPN draft analyst...
Prospects ready for closeup on NFL draft night from home
Yetur Gross-Matos would have liked to have been in Las Vegas for the NFL draft on Thursday night, but the Penn State defensive lineman is OK with participating from home. Gross-Matos is one of 58 prospects who will take part remotely in the draft, which has gone virtual this year...
Watch live: NFL Draft-A-Thon to raise money for first responders battling coronavirus pandemicVideo
TribLIVE is partnering with video-hosting platform SendtoNews to bring readers a live stream of the NFL’s three-day virtual fundraiser that will benefit six charities — selected by the NFL Foundation — that are battling the spread of covid-19. Friday marks the second night of the festivities. Draft-A-Thon will pay tribute...
First Call: Pittsburgh as NHL return city?; Some underrated potential Steelers draft targets
For “First Call” today, we’re still talkin’ hockey in a bubble. Just different bubbles. Forget New Hampshire, North Dakota and Saskatchewan. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed through ESPN.com that the NHL is looking at four NHL host cities as designated locations to condense the league and to restart the 2019-20...
Agents, players pleased NFL Draft wasn’t delayedVideo
The NFL Draft won’t stop for anything. While some teams expressed concern about not being able to host players for in-person visits and having to conduct the three-day draft virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, agents and their clients are pleased it’s going on as scheduled. “From an agent’s perspective,...
Rob Gronkowski says he’s healthy and fire burns to play with Tom Brady againVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Rob Gronkowski planted the seed for an NFL comeback when he played catch with Tom Brady two months ago. Gronkowski, a Woodland Hills product, told the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback he was getting an itch to play again if the “right opportunity” presented itself. Brady, on...
Saints cancel offseason program amid coronavirus concernsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints canceled their offseason program because of the coronavirus pandemic and informed players they will not be required to report to club headquarters until training camp — whenever that might be. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said coach Sean Payton informed players of the...
Logistics share NFL Draft spotlight with Joe Burrow, Chase YoungVideo
From his home in suburban New York, Roger Goodell will handle perhaps his most visible annual chore — announcing draft picks. Visible, but this time virtual. Not since the NFL Draft became a televised event in 1980 has it been stripped to the basics like this year’s proceedings will be....
Virus shutdowns will likely make NFL draft most bet on ever
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — For those who haven’t mastered the odds of Belarussian soccer or Russian table tennis, this week’s NFL draft gives U.S. gamblers their first opportunity in weeks to bet on an event about which they actually know something. With major sports shut down for more than a...
Percy Harvin planning NFL comeback after 4-year hiatus
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Percy Harvin is planning an NFL comeback nearly four years after his last game. The former Florida star and first-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2009 expects to get invited to a training camp this season and show his 32-year-old body still has what it takes to...
Tim Dahlberg: Direct from Roger Goodell’s basement, the NFL Draft!Video
It was supposed to be an extravaganza only Las Vegas can bring, complete with showgirls, A-list celebs, and a stage in the middle of the Bellagio fountains. Instead, the NFL Draft will come to you Thursday night from the friendly confines of Roger Goodell’s basement. No one, of course, expected...
Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes eye record-setting deal following NFL DraftVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leigh Steinberg’s focus this week is rightfully on the three-day NFL Draft, where new clients such as Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and teammate Jerry Jeudy will learn where they will begin their professional careers. It won’t be long before Steinberg’s attention is back on his most...
Agent: Gronkowski traded to Tampa Bay, reunited with BradyVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Four-time All Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski agreed to a reunion with Tom Brady. The agent for the retired New England star confirmed Tuesday that pending completion of a physical Gronkowski has agreed to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are acquiring his rights from the...
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson says he’s the next ‘Madden’ cover athleteVideo
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said Tuesday he will be the cover athlete of the next “Madden” video game. And no, the reigning NFL MVP is not worried about any curses. “Patrick Mahomes was on the front” of “Madden NFL 20,” he told reporters during a conference call Tuesday. “He...
Tom Brady ejected from Tampa park closed because of pandemic
TAMPA, Fla. — Six Super Bowl rings may get you special treatment in a lot of places but former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady learned Monday that it won’t get you anything when you’re caught working out in a park that is closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic....
Christian McCaffrey embracing new role as face of Panthers franchiseVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the Panthers in the midst of a roster overhaul, Christian McCaffrey could have forced his way out of Carolina in hopes of finding a team better prepared to challenge for a Super Bowl title. But the All-Pro running back said that notion never crossed his mind....
NFL following NBA’s lead in blurring traditional positionsVideo
The NFL is embracing dexterity for the first time since the 1960s, when expanded rosters and the age of specialization ushered out the last of the great two-way players such as Chuck Bednarik and Les Richter. For much of the last half-century, players who didn’t fit the mold essentially were...
Draft capsule: Browns eyeing left tackle with No. 10 pick in NFL DraftVideo
10. CLEVELAND (6-10) LAST SEASON: Picked to compete for playoff spot, Browns were one of league’s biggest disappointments, undermined by continued drama, injuries and sabotaged by unrealistic expectations. Quarterback Baker Mayfield regressed in his second season, coach Freddie Kitchens was fired after one, and general manager John Dorsey departed after...
Report: Tua Tagovailoa had lowest Wonderlic score among 2020 QB prospects
The Athletic’s Bob McGinn reports that ex-Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa scored a woeful 13 on the Wonderlic test, administered by the NFL to draft prospects before the draft. Among the other first-round prospects, McGinn reported that LSU’s Jake Burrow scored a 34, Utah State’s Jordan Love got a 27...
Draft capsule: Ravens enter with 9 picks and few holes to fillVideo
28. BALTIMORE RAVENS (14-3) LAST SEASON: With NFL MVP Lamar Jackson directing offense that led league in scoring and set NFL record for yards rushing, Ravens took 12-game winning streak, league-best 14-2 record and 13 Pro Bowl players into playoffs before losing at home to Tennessee. FREE AGENCY: Fortified DL...
