Friday’s “First Call” looks at what the other AFC North teams did in the NFL Draft after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Broderick Jones. We also preview the Pirates next series, look at Gerrit Cole’s latest strong start and check in on the free agent goalie market in the NHL.
Once an Eagle, now a Raven
With their selection in Round 1 of the NFL Draft (23/22), the Ravens chose Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers. That’s a nice addition for a team that wants to make newly extended quarterback Lamar Jackson happy.
Flowers isn’t big. He’s just 5-foot-9, 182 pounds. But he was wildly productive for the Eagles and is my favorite receiver in the draft.
Our “Draft Prep 101” analyst, Matt Williamson of Steelers Nation Radio, assessed Flowers this way.
“At Boston College, everyone in the stadium knew that they were throwing to Zay Flowers, and it didn’t matter,” Williamson said. “Clearly, the best player on their offense and people couldn’t slow him down. He would be a slot here. He’s small. But he’s dynamic. He’s tough. He can also line up outside the numbers.”
In four seasons at BC, Flowers racked up 200 catches, 3,056 yards and 31 total touchdowns.
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Once a Tiger, now a Bengal
A few picks later, the Cincinnati Bengals threw some more depth at a position where they already have some well known players. They selected Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy (29/28).
He’ll be added to a defensive end rotation that already features Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard and Joseph Ossai. But the Benagls only yielded 30 sacks last year, 29th in the league. And Murphy should help in that regard.
A first-team All-ACC player in 2022, Murphy is 6-foot-5, 268 pounds. He recorded the second-most sacks in the ACC over the past three seasons with 18.5.
Wanted to point out this line from @MoveTheSticks in his Myles Murphy scouting report that screamed #Bengals from the first time I saw it:
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) April 28, 2023
"I love his motor and nonstop effort to chase plays from the back side."
Trait of every single DL they employ.
This is the first defensive end the Bengals have drafted in the first round since 2001. That should make for fun matchups for quite some time against Jones.
As for the Cleveland Browns, they don’t pick until the 11th selection of the third round.
Off the list?
When it comes to the Penguins plans for Tristan Jarry, the thinking can’t be as easy as, “We can do better, let’s just go upgrade.” That’s because there might not be any other goalie all that much better who is available in free agency.
And those that are available may ask for way too much.
It appears that may even be the dialogue about the Penguins situation — and approaching Jarry — in other markets too. Consider what Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now wrote about Jarry on Thursday when discussing goalie options for the Red Wings.
“One school of thought is a new Penguins general manager will want to shake-up the roster by saying goodbye to Jarry. But if Jarry goes to free agency, who can the Penguins land to replace him? But even if he does test the market, Jarry won’t want to come to Detroit to share time on a team that has missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons,” Allen said.
It appears both free-agent goalies and goalie-hungry teams across the league are stuck in a mutual middle ground between a rather soft market demand and a less than impressive supply.
As Allen wrote about Los Angeles Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo — a netminder whose name is frequently connected to Penguins’ plans — the 29-year-old Finn “played well for the Los Angeles Kings down the stretch and into the postseason. The Kings should want to re-sign him and a few other teams will as well.”
Jarry will turn 28 on Saturday. He is coming off of the final year of his Penguins contract, which paid him $3.5 million last season.
Getting to know the Nats
After winning a series against the defending National League West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pirates now travel to face the last-place team in the NL East for a three-game series starting Friday night.
The Washington Nationals are 9-15. Only the Colorado Rockies (8-16) have a worse record in the National League. They are also particularly bad at home. The Nats are 2-9 at Nationals Park. The Oakland A’s (2-10) and Kansas City Royals (1-12) are the only teams in Major League Baseball with a worse record at home.
The Nats have been better lately, though, winning four of six — including two straight series against the Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets.
Before Thursday’s 9-8 loss to the Mets, the Nats had been pitching well in recent games. In the five previous outings to that one, Washington had allowed just 10 runs.
Former Pirate Chad Kuhl is getting the series-opening start for the Nats on Friday. He has struggled so far in 2023, with an 0-1 record and a 7.36 earned run average. The Pirates plan to counter with Rich Hill who is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.85.
Geritt’s great start
Former Pirate Gerrit Cole continues to tear it up with the New York Yankees. The five-time All-Star improved to 5-0 for the Bronx Bombers thanks to a victory in Texas on Thursday.
The Yankees got 6⅔ innings out of Cole as he allowed just two earned runs and struck out eight en route to a 4-2 win over the Rangers.
Cole train came through ???? pic.twitter.com/tMIhLAtqKC
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2023
Cole’s ERA now stands at 1.11. Offensively, New York got three home runs from D.J. LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Jose Trevenio.
The loss drops Texas into a first-place tie with the Houston Astros atop the American League West at 14-11. The Yankees are in fourth place in the East at 15-11, six back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
