2018 NFL DRAFT
Baker Mayfield, until the past few days considered an outsider to be chosen at the top of the NFL draft, has been taken by the Cleveland Browns to begin this year's NFL draft.
The first Heisman Trophy winner taken No. 1 overall in the following draft since Cam Newton went to Carolina in 2010, Mayfield joins a team that went 0-16 in 2017.
The Browns were sold on the Oklahoma star's leadership skills and creativity inside the pocket and outside. The Sooners went 34-6 with him.
Other 1st round selections:
The New York Giants selected Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the second pick in the 2018 NFL draft. The All-American with speed, power, shiftiness and excellent hands is considered this year's best player. Barkley also is a sensational kick returner.
The cool, calm and confident kid from Southern California is going from Hollywood to the Big Apple. The New York Jets selected USC quarterback Sam Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night. The Jets had traded up from sixth overall with Indianapolis with the expressed mission of finding a top quarterback.
The Browns surprised the experts again, picking Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward No 4 overall. After passing over more classic quarterbacks to take Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield with the top pick, Cleveland skipped over North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb, the top pass rusher in the draft, to grab the top cornerback.
Bradley Chubb of North Carolina State, seen as the best pass rusher in this draft, was selected fifth overall by Denver. Chubb will bolster a defense that already has one star in linebacker Von Miller. Denver ranked third in overall defense last season, but GM John Elway couldn't pass on a game-changing end.
The Colts grabbed the best blocker in the draft, Notre Dame's Quenton Nelson at No. 6. The Colts had traded down from No. 3 with the New York Jets. Indianapolis took the 6-foot-5, 330-pound guard to help protect quarterback Andrew Luck, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.
The Buffalo Bills traded up five spots to No. 7 to take Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, a 6-foot-5, strong-armed passer. He needs some seasoning and to work on accuracy, but he could sit behind AJ McCarron in Buffalo for a year or two.
The Chicago Bears selected Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith with pick No. 8. Smith was an All-American and Butkus Award winner for the Bulldogs in 2017.
The San Francisco 49ers bolstered their offensive line, picking tackle Mike McGlinchey from Notre Dame at No. 9. McGlinchey was the second Fighting Irish lineman to go in the top 10 after Quenton Nelson went to the Colts.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen slipped a bit, but the Arizona Cardinals jumped up to No. 10 to get him. Arizona traded with Oakland to get the 10th overall pick, moving up from No. 15. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer retired after the season. Arizona also signed former Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford, who missed most of last season with an injury.
The Miami Dolphins had a top-10 talent fall to them at No. 11 and took Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. The versatile All-American played safety, cornerback and nickel back in three seasons with the Crimson Tide and was one of coach Nick Saban's favorite players.
Tampa Bay has plugged a major hole in its defensive line with nose tackle Vita Vea. The Buccaneers had traded down from seventh to 12th and found a 6-foot-4, 345-pound man-mountain adept at stopping the run. At Washington, he often occupied or even overpowered more than one blocker.
The Washington Redskins addressed their leaky run defense by taking Alabama defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne with pick No. 13. The 320-pound Payne was the anchor of Alabama's national championship defense last season, and the second Crimson Tide player taken in the first round.
Eager to add to an improving defense, New Orleans traded up with Green Bay, moving from 27th to 14th to get UTSA edge rusher Marcus Davenport. They took a strong, tall (6-foot-6) player who can play on the line or at linebacker. Davenport was particularly impressive at the Senior Bowl.
Oakland, selecting 15th after trading down from 10th, bolstered its offensive line with UCLA's Kolton Miller in the NFL draft. The 6-foot-9 tackle left the Bruins after his junior season and had strong workouts leading up to the draft.
The Buffalo Bills selected Tremaine Edmunds, the versatile linebacker out of Virginia Tech as the 16th pick of the draft.
The Los Angeles Chargers took advantage of safety Derwin James' slip in the first round, snagging one of the top defensive prospects in the draft with the 17th overall pick. The hard-hitting defensive back is from Florida State.
The Green Bay Packers selected Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander with the 18th overall pick of the draft, hoping he's the playmaker they desperately need after another subpar year on defense.
The Dallas Cowboys pick sent the fans at AT&T Stadium into a frenzy of anticipation for the home team with the 19th pick. The Cowboys passed on filling a need at wide receiver and selected Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, a late bloomer who didn't play 11-man football in high school.
Detroit took center Frank Ragnow from Arkansas with the 20th pick to help protect Matthew Stafford. Ragnow can also play guard.
The Cincinnati Bengals took Billy Price from Ohio State, another interior lineman who can also play guard as the No. 21 pick. The Bengals' offense struggled mightily last season because of a porous offensive line.
Tennessee traded up with Baltimore to make the 22nd pick and went with Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans, the third Crimson Tide player taken in the first round.
The New England Patriots bolstered their offensive line by selecting Isaiah Wynn from Georgia as the 23rd overall pick.
The Carolina Panthers have selected wide receiver D.J. Moore from Maryland with the No. 24 overall pick, giving Cam Newton yet another option at offense. Moore was the first wide receiver selected in the NFL draft.
The first tight end drafted was taken by one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. The Baltimore Ravens and general manager Ozzie Newsome took Hayden Hurst from South Carolina with the 25th pick in the first round. Hurst caught 44 passes for 559 yards and two scores for the Gamecocks this season.
Atlanta picked Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley at No. 26 to pair him with another former Alabama star, Julio Jones.
At 27, Seattle got San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny (from New Orleans through Green Bay).
— The Pittsburgh Steeler used pick28 on safety Terrell Edmunds of, Virginia Tech.
— Jacksonville took Taven Bryan, a defensive tackle out of Florida at 29.
— Cornerback Mike Hughes of UCF goes to Minnesota at number 30.
— The 31st pick belonged to New England and they took Sony Michel, a running back out of Georgia.
— The final pick of the first round was quarterback Lamar Jackson of Louisville, who went to Baltimore at 32.
Elsewhere in the Draft:
LSU running back Derrius Guice, Iowa All-American cornerback Josh Jackson and Texas offensive lineman Connor Williams were left in the green room when the first round of the draft ended.
Twenty-two players were invited to attend the draft at AT&T Stadium, including UCF's Shaquem Griffin, who was not expected to go in the first round .
For the others, it was a long and unsatisfying night, but Guice, Jackson and Williams are safe bets to be selected during day two.
The top quarterback left on the board after five were taken in the first round is Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State.
Other notable players still available are linebacker Harold Landry of Boston College, linebacker Arden Key of LSU and running backs Ronald Jones of USC and Nick Chubb of Georgia.
In other NFL news:
A person familiar with the situation says the Panthers have agreed to a two-year contract extension with three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen worth $8.5 million per season. The 33-year-old Olsen became the first tight end to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2015-17. However, he missed most of last season with a broken bone in his foot. Olsen has twice been selected second-team All-Pro.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded enigmatic wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Oakland Raiders. The Steelers receive Oakland's third-round pick in the NFL draft in exchange for Bryant, who showed flashes of brilliance in three seasons with Pittsburgh but also regularly ran afoul of the league's substance abuse policy.
MLB
Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer off Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Thursday to complete a four-game sweep and extend their winning streak to six.
New York was held hitless through five innings and trailed 3-0 before Aaron Hicks' sacrifice fly in the seventh. Didi Gregorius grounded to third leading off the ninth and reached second when Miguel Sano's throw went wide for an error.
Giancarlo Stanton followed with a slow roller gloved by a charging Sano, who did not make a throw as Stanton crossed first with an infield hit.
Sanchez took a strike, then sent a fastball from Rodney down the left-field line and into the lower deck.
New York finished an 8-2 homestand and has outscored opponents 47-13 during its winning streak.
In other MLB games:
J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer, Chris Sale won for the first time in three starts and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4. Andrew Benitendi had two hits and an RBI for the Red Sox, who went 6-3 on their trip. The Red Sox are a major league-best 19-5.
Corey Dickerson hit the first game-ending home run of his major league career, a disputed one-out drive in the ninth inning that lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Detroit Tigers 1-0 Thursday. A fan reached out and caught the ball. But the home-run call was upheld after a video review.
C.J. Cron and Wilson Ramos homered and the Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to six games with a 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. It's the Rays' longest winning streak since a nine-game run from July 12-26, 2014.
Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 and give the Braves a split of the four-game series. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.
Jarrod Dyson, Nick Ahmed and David Peralta homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks earned an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Diamondbacks improved to 17-7, matching the best 24-game start in franchise history. Arizona also went 17-7 in 2008.
Dexter Fowler's 13th-inning single capped a comeback from a pair of deficits and gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets in 13 innings. St. Louis won its second straight against the Mets after losing the series opener in 10 innings.
Andrew Miller's absence was immediately felt by the Cleveland Indians' bullpen when Kyle Seager hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning off Nick Goody that lifted the Seattle Mariners to a 5-4 victory. Miller was placed on the disabled list after straining his left hamstring on Wednesday.
Kyle Hendricks outpitched Chase Anderson with seven crisp innings, and the Chicago Cubs stopped Milwaukee's eight-game win streak with a 1-0 victory over the Brewers on Thursday night. Hendricks, now 2-1, allowed four hits, struck out five and walked none in his best outing this season.
Matt Davidson hit two of Chicago's five home runs, leading the White Sox to a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Davidson, who drove in three runs, has seven home runs this season — five against the Royals.
In other baseball news:
The Cleveland Indians have placed reliever Andrew Miller on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained left hamstring. Miller grabbed the back of his leg after throwing a pitch to the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo in the seventh inning Wednesday night and was immediately removed from the game. He had an MRI on Thursday.
Joe Kelly's appeal of a six-game suspension was denied by John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, and the Boston pitcher started serving the penalty. Kelly was disciplined for twice throwing at the New York Yankees' Tyler Austin on April 11. Meanwhile, Austin's five-game suspension was cut to four by McHale and the New York first baseman will start serving the penalty on Friday when the Yankees open a series at the Los Angeles Angels.
The Oakland Athletics have optioned opening day starter Kendall Graveman and fellow right-hander Chris Bassitt to Triple-A Nashville. The A's also announced that right-hander Wilmer Font will be added to the 25-man roster a day after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and in the process of rejoining the team. Kang, a native of South Korea, has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government. The 31-year-old last played for the Pirates in 2016. He missed all of last season following his third arrest in South Korea on DUI charges.
NBA
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 14 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away late to beat the Boston Celtics 97-86 on Thursday night to force a Game 7 in the first-round series.
Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon each added 16 points, with Brogdon hitting a momentum-swinging 3 from the left corner to give the Bucks a two-possession lead with 5:22 left. The Bucks held the Celtics at bay from there to force the winner-take-all game Saturday night in Boston.
In other NBA news:
The NBA said LeBron James' block in the closing seconds of Game 5 on Indiana's Victor Oladipo should have been called goaltending.
In the league's Last Two Minute Report posted Thursday, the NBA said the three officials missed the call with 5.1 seconds left. The league said the video shows James blocked Oladipo's shot "after it makes contact with the backboard."
James then hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 98-95 win and a 3-2 lead in the series.
The Pacers did not contest the block while on the floor, but later in their locker room they complained about the no-call.
Stephen Curry has resumed full practice with contact and could play for the defending champion Golden State Warriors as soon as Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals this weekend against New Orleans. Curry practiced wearing a protective black brace over his sprained left knee, which has sidelined him since the injury March 23 — the same day he returned from a six-game absence because of a hurt right ankle.
Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee has undergone surgery to fix a core-muscle injury. The 28-year-old is expected to return to basketball activities this summer and be ready for training camp in the fall.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Siena officials are denying a report by NewsChannel 13, which stated Mount St. Mary's Jamion Christian was being hired as men’s basketball head coach replacing embattled coach Jimmy Patsos, who resigned under pressure less than two weeks ago.
An athletic department spokesman said the job hadn't been offered to anyone.
Christian has a record of 101-95 during his six seasons with the Northeast Conference school, which made NCAA Tournaments in 2014 and 2017 under his watch.
Elsewhere In College Basketball:
The University of Vermont's head women's basketball coach has resigned after two seasons.
Chris Day said in a statement Thursday he was "grateful" for his time at the university but that he had to move his family back to the Philadelphia area. Day had served as the University of Pennsylvania assistant women's basketball coach before joining UVM in 2016.
Day's resignation comes after an investigation earlier this month concerning his verbal conduct. Two players have been granted releases from the university since the program review.
Day told the Burlington Free Press he couldn't discuss the investigation.
UVM Athletic Director Jeff Schulman thanked Day for his "energy and commitment" to the program.
Assistant head coach Alisa Kresge has been appointed interim head coach through the 2018-19 season.
NHL
Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help the Pittsburgh Penguins rally to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in Game 1 of the second-round series. Down 2-0 early in the third period and playing without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh turned it around with all three of its top-line forwards chipping in a goal. Crosby scored the tying goal when the puck bounced to him off Alex Ovechkin's stick, and assisted on Guentzel's go-ahead goal.
Cody Eakin, Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault scored first-period goals in a span of 1:31, and the Vegas Golden Knights went on to defeat the San Jose Sharks 7-0 in Game 1 of their second-round series. Marc-Andre Fleury, who improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, stopped 33 shots for the Golden Knights while registering his 13th career shutout in the playoffs and third this season.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
Los Angeles Kings forwards Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis have undergone offseason surgery.
Brown had surgery on his left shoulder, and Lewis had surgery on his right hand.
Both two-time Stanley Cup winners are expected to recover well before the start of training camp.
LPGA
Lydia Ko was back on top at Lake Merced.
Ko shot a 4-under 68 on a chilly Thursday morning at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship for a share of the first-round lead. Jessica Korda, Caroline Hedwall, In-Kyung Kim and Su Oh joined Ko atop the leaderboard in the LPGA Tour's return to Lake Merced after a year away.
Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Charley Hull and Celine Herbin shot 69.
© 2018 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
