5 h. ago Shedeur Sanders’s fall exposed the cruel heart of the NFL draft industry | Oliver Connolly

There are valid arguments for the quarterback falling out of the first round. But it came after anonymous backstabs and the harsh glare of the spotlightThe NFL draft can be cruel. Shedeur Sanders, a polarizing prospect in a weak class whose profile was magnified by the fact that he is the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had to sit and wait for his name to be called in Thursday night’s first round. He waited. And waited. By night’s end, Sanders had fallen out of the first round entirely.Only two quarterbacks were selected on Thursday. After Miami’s Cam Ward was selected No 1 overall, the QB-needy teams at the top of the board opted to punt on quarterbacks in favor of chasing defensive studs or linemen who could protect their eventual starter. Continue reading...

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16 h. ago NFL draft 2025 live updates: Jaguars trade up to get Travis Hunter as teams pass on Shedeur Sanders

Titans pick Miami QB Cam Ward as No 1 overall pickGiants go for defensive star Abdul Carter at No 3Travis Hunter wants to be the NFL’s Ohtani. Will anyone let him?Email beau.dure@theguardian.com with your thoughtsNFL commissioner Roger Goodell has opted to ride a bicycle to the stage, accompanied by some legendary Green Bay Packers players and fans. That is a Green Bay tradition of which I was not aware. Booing the commissioner is also traditional, and that’s continuing this year.ESPN shows us an empty couch somewhere in Texas that is apparently where they expect to see Shedeur Sanders. It’s a nice couch, at least. Continue reading...

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18 h. ago Tennessee Titans select quarterback Cam Ward with first pick in 2025 NFL draft

In a surprise selection at number two, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up three spots to select two-way player Travis Hunter.

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19 h. ago NFL draft 2025 live updates: Jaguars trade up with Browns to get Travis Hunter at No 2

Titans pick Miami QB Cam Ward as No 1 overall pickExplainer: when and where to watch the draftEmail beau.dure@theguardian.com with your thoughtsNFL commissioner Roger Goodell has opted to ride a bicycle to the stage, accompanied by some legendary Green Bay Packers players and fans. That is a Green Bay tradition of which I was not aware. Booing the commissioner is also traditional, and that’s continuing this year.ESPN shows us an empty couch somewhere in Texas that is apparently where they expect to see Shedeur Sanders. It’s a nice couch, at least. Continue reading...

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20 h. ago NFL draft 2025 live updates: Cam Ward predicted to go to Titans at No 1

Selection process in Green Bay starts at 8pm ETExplainer: when and where to watch the draftEmail beau.dure@theguardian.com with your thoughtsTo QB or not QB No position in modern sports has as much impact on a team’s chances as the quarterback. Continue reading...

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32 h. ago When is the NFL Draft 2025? Dates, start time, how to watch, draft order, top players and odds today

Tennessee Titans have the No1 pick for huge three-day event taking place in Green Bay, Wisconsin

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35 h. ago NFL 2025 draft predictions: the stars, the needs and the lower

Our writers take a look at the best prospects coming out of college, and which teams needs to nail their picks over the coming daysTravis Hunter, CB/WR. Any team picking No 1 overall needs a quarterback. And Cam Ward is the top quarterback prospect in the class. But the No 1 pick should be Hunter, the electrifying hybrid corner/receiver. Whether he can play both ways in the league is an open question, but wherever he lines up, Hunter will be a gamechanger at a premium position. OC Continue reading...

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37 h. ago How to watch the NFL Draft 2025: TV channel and live stream today

College stars poised to begin their professional careers in one of the biggest annual events on the American football calendar

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56 h. ago When is the NFL Draft 2025? Dates, start time, how to watch, draft order, top players and odds

Tennessee Titans have the No1 pick for huge three-day event taking place in Green Bay, Wisconsin

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59 h. ago Travis Hunter wants to be the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani. Will anyone let him?

The Colorado star is brilliant on offense and defense but the burdens of professional football make it very difficult for two-way players to succeedEvery once in a while, a player comes along who breaks our understanding of a sport. Basketball has Victor Wembanyama. Baseball has Shohei Ohtani. For professional football, enter Travis Hunter.There are good prospects, there are great prospects, and then there is whatever Hunter is. The Heisman Trophy winner and soon-to-be top-five draft pick is looking to do the improbable: play both sides of the ball in the NFL, offense and defense, full-time. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Lotteries, stashed teens and bidding wars: reimagining the NFL draft

The draft makes for brilliant television and maintains interest in the league even during the offseason. But it’s worth considering other optionsThere is something funky about the draft being one of the NFL’s marquee events. At root, it’s a man stepping to the podium, being booed and reading names. The NFL still dominates Sundays and Mondays and Thursdays and playoff Saturdays during the season; the draft allows the league to gobble up the offseason months too. But as interest continues to grow, there has been relatively little pushback from those who make the draft work: the prospects, particularly those slated to go at the top of the first round.Think about it. Your reward for being one of the best college athletes in the country is to wind up on one of the worst rosters in the NFL, typically one beset by mismanagement at the top, iffy coaching or a third-rate roster. Quarterbacks can win with teams that draft them No 1 overall – Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman are a couple of exam...

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8 d. ago NFL scouting is broken. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is all the proof you need | Andrew Lawrence

The son of Coach Prime has the production, pedigree and poise to lead a franchise. But he challenges the prototype of what an NFL quarterback is supposed to look and act likeNFL scouting is broken, and Shedeur Sanders is the proof. Everything about him screams future star quarterback, and yet teams would sooner assume the worst.Make no mistake: there is no prospect in this year’s draft who is better equipped to turn around a struggling franchise than the 23-year-old Texan, a savior to not one but two college fanbases. The last four years saw him restore the proud football tradition at Jackson State and put Colorado back on the college football map. Sanders did this despite skeptics casting doubt on his ability to make the jump up from competing against small historically Black schools to playing against major college powers in the Pac 12 and Big 12 conferences. Last year he led a 9-4 turnaround at Colorado, the school’s first winning season in seven years, while snapping a four-year...

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8 d. ago A road trip to Lambeau Field: my search for the magic of the NFL draft | Emma John

Why are a quarter of a million people set to descend on Green Bay? I went to Wisconsin to find out I’ve just got back from a road trip in Wisconsin. The upper Midwest is not an obvious destination for a spring break, certainly not in early April. As my plane circled above Milwaukee, the brown and leafless landscape warned me I’d travelled back in time to midwinter.It was too cold to brave the beaches – the Lake Michigan shore was covered in snow and ice – but the bars at least were convivial. This is often the case in Wisconsin, the state with the highest alcohol consumption per capita. Many of my fellow drinkers were keen to point out that they were responsible for nearly all the brandy sold in the US (as a collective, not individually). Continue reading...

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1 week ago NFL draft prospect Kyren Lacy dies at 24 amid fatal car crash charges

Receiver had allegedly caused death in December crashCause of death for player has not been releasedLawyer says he believes charges will be declinedFormer LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, who was facing criminal charges stemming from a fatal car accident in December, has died at the age of 24, his attorney and the college confirmed on Sunday. A cause of death has not been released.“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic passing of Kyren Lacy. First and foremost, we ask that the public and the media give his family the space and time they need to grieve this unimaginable loss in peace,” Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, told ESPN. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Built different: Is the 6XL, 464lb Desmond Watson too large for the NFL?

The defensive tackle is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. But the attributes that make him stand out could also be his downfallDesmond Watson is pro football’s next very big thing: a 6ft 6in, 464lb defensive tackle who is poised to become the heaviest player ever selected at the NFL draft, which takes place later this month. “He’s a unicorn,” his coach at Florida, Billy Napier, said last month. “You’ll go the rest of your career, and you’ll never be around a guy that’s that stature.A native of Plant City, Florida, the state’s strawberry capital, Watson was the Gators’ big man on campus, a larger-than-life folk hero to match the school’s 7ft 9in basketball prospect. When Watson arrived at college, he already weighed 440lb – or about as much as a standup piano. Watson’s legend grew once he cracked the team’s starting lineup the following year. During a 2022 game against South Carolina, Watson left 89,000 fans gasping after he split a double team and ripped the...

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