The opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft featured plenty of unexpected twists and turns, including six Day 1 trades.
Rounds 2 and 3 are up next Friday night, and the fun should only continue as teams seek out more talent.
Here’s a look at our Day 2 projections:
Round 2
32. Pittsburgh Steelers – Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
Pittsburgh shores up its secondary by picking the son of former Steeler great Joey Porter.
33. Arizona Cardinals – BJ Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
Arizona needs pass-rush help, and Ojulari offers a ton of burst off the edge.
34. Detroit Lions – Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
The Lions continue to ignore positional value and select the versatile Mayer. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will love getting a reliable blocker with great hands.
35. Indianapolis Colts – O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
Top-five pick Anthony Richardson continues playing with a Florida teammate. Torrence is an absolute mauler on the offensive line.
36. Los Angeles Rams – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
The Rams get their quarterback of the future. Levis’ cannon isn’t dissimilar to what current signal-caller Matthew Stafford had in his prime.
37. Seattle Seahawks – John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
John Schneider continues to add instant-impact players. The Minnesota product should start sooner than later.
38. Las Vegas Raiders – Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
Washington helps fill the void left by Darren Waller while upgrading the team’s blocking tremendously.
39. Carolina Panthers – Josh Downs, WR, UNC
No. 1 pick Bryce Young gets a new weapon. Downs’ quickness from the slot complements veterans Adam Thielen and DJ Chark nicely.
40. New Orleans Saints – Keion White, DL, Georgia Tech
New Orleans loves picking up big bodies with versatility on the defensive line. White fits that description to a tee.
After taking offensive lineman Peter Skoronski in the first round, the Titans grab their future signal-caller in the second. Hooker’s ACL recovery is going well, and he could take over before the end of the 2023 campaign.
42. Green Bay Packers – Matthew Bergeron, OL, Syracuse
Bergeron can help solidify the offensive line in front of presumed new starter Jordan Love.
43. New York Jets – Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State
The Jets need to add bodies on the offensive line, and Jones is one of the biggest bodies available. He could start at right tackle as early as Week 1.
44. Atlanta Falcons – Brian Branch, DB, Alabama
Atlanta adds the versatile Branch to a new-look secondary featuring A.J. Terrell, Jeff Okudah, and Jessie Bates.
45. Green Bay Packers – Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
The Packers lack a proven player at tight end after losing Robert Tonyan in free agency. Enter the supremely athletic Musgrave.
46. New England Patriots – Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State
Mauch plays with the kind of nasty demeanor necessary to establish the run early and often – something the Patriots love to do.
47. Washington Commanders – Steve Avila, G, TCU
Washington addresses the offensive line after selecting corner Emmanuel Forbes in the first.
48. Detroit Lions – Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina
Detroit needs another cornerback, and Cam Smith matches head coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive style.
Adebawore tested off the charts. Pete Carroll will love finding mismatches for the Northwestern product.
53. Chicago Bears – Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
Ringo has a tantalizing combo of size and athleticism. Coach Matt Eberflus will look to unlock his immense potential.
54. Los Angeles Chargers – Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas
Sanders can play up and down the line of scrimmage. He’ll contribute both on the edge and as an off-ball defender.
55. Detroit Lions – Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor
Ika is unlikely to contribute much as a pass-rusher, but there aren’t many players in the draft with this kind of size to eat up blocks in the run game.
Stevenson loves battling with receivers at the line of scrimmage and should get plenty of opportunities opposite Tyson Campbell.
57. New York Giants – Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin
The Giants fill one of their biggest holes and get better in both the run and pass games as a result.
58. Dallas Cowboys – Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State
Henley flies all over the football field. He adds a sideline-to-sideline element to the second level of Dallas’ defense.
59. Buffalo Bills – Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson
Simpson’s tools are maybe the best of any linebacker in the draft.
60. Cincinnati Bengals – Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
Kraft oozes potential. He looks and plays like a modern tight end should.
61. Chicago Bears – Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame
Foskey ran an impressive 4.58 40-yard dash that should help him get to quarterbacks at the next level.
62. Philadelphia Eagles – Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
Philly adds a bruising power back to complement offseason addition Rashaad Penny’s explosive running style.
63. Kansas City Chiefs – Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee
Kansas City finds a new weapon for Patrick Mahomes with the former Volunteer. Tillman is one of the few big-bodied receivers in this draft, and he’s got the talent to contribute early in his career.
Round 3
64. Chicago Bears – Luke Wypler, C, Ohio State
65. Houston Texans – Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
66. Philadelphia Eagles – Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
