The quarterback position is always one of the most intriguing heading into the NFL Draft, and there’s almost always some debate and uncertainty over the order the top QBs will be selected in the first round.
Last year, it was a surprise when Daniel Jones was the second QB off the board, sixth overall to the New York Giants, ahead of Dwayne Haskins.
Two years ago, the eventual order of Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Sam Darnold (New York Jets), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), and Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals) in the first round was in question right up until the picks were submitted.
And three seasons ago, the Chicago Bears drafting Mitchell Trubisky ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson was the first splash of the draft and, in hindsight, a belly flop.
And this year there is some potential for another surprise as well, although almost assuredly not until the first QB is off the board.
The list has been led by LSU’s Joe Burrow since at least his National Championship performance in January, followed by Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, and Utah State’s Jordan Love.
And aside from Burrow, who by all accounts is a lock to go first overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, there are some lingering questions that might be enough to shake up the expected draft order of QBs.
For Tagovailoa, the potential concern is about his health. The Crimson Tide QB may have been able to at least challenge Burrow as the draft’s top prospect at the position this year before dislocating his hip late in the season.
Since that time, all medical checkups have gone well and Tagovailoa has done everything he can to prove to NFL teams he’s on pace for a full recovery.
To draft or not to draft: The compelling Tua case
Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is one of the most heralded prospects in recent history but he is also one of the riskiest. The Alabama star dazzled for three years in the NCAA but a devastating hip injury ended his final season last November, but due to the pandemic, he hasn’t been able to prove to teams that he is full capable of competing at the NFL level. Rod Smith has more.
But the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t allowed for teams to bring in prospects for personal physicals, which could scare away some teams on draft night.
“Yes, they got a look at Tua in Indianapolis, but they’d like a further evaluation and extensive look,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on ESPN’s Get Up. “You want to be as convinced as possible, as thorough as you can get. But the NFL this year has banned players from visiting team facilities. When you’ve got a player like Tua teams want to get their hands on, they can’t do it. Teams are in a little bit more of a guessing game. It was always going to be something of a medical gamble with Tua and it’s an even bigger gamble at this point in time.”
Herbert is a bit of a forgotten man this time around. The Oregon QB was the top QB prospect for a period last year before deciding to return to school for his senior season. While most prognosticators now have Herbert behind both Burrow and Tua, he could still be an early pick with the abundance of QB-needy teams this year compared to last.
And then there is Love, who is likely to go in the first round as well but has both the most questions surrounding his game and biggest range of where he might end up. The Utah State product doesn’t have the stats or the big-school pedigree to match up with the other three top QB prospects, but he has one thing working in his favour: comparisons to reigning Super Bowl champion and former MVP Patrick Mahomes.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that,” Love told Yahoo Sports. “Different teams ask me who I’d compare my game to, and I’d say that too, as well, just as far as arm strength and playmaking ability. I mean, I’m not saying I’m Patrick Mahomes at the end of the day. But I love his game, I love watching his game and, obviously, that’s something I’m trying to implement in my game, as well.”
He could end up being drafted by the first team that agrees with those comparisons.
TSN.ca takes a closer look at the top quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft class:
Joe Burrow – LSU
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15
402-527 (70.6 %)
5,671
60
6
Burrow put up one of the greatest college football seasons in history last year and was rewarded with a National Championship and Heisman Trophy. He led the nation in passing yards with 5,671 and passing touchdowns with 60. And he saved perhaps his best performances for when everyone was watching, throwing for 493 yards and seven touchdowns in the CFP semifinal against Oklahoma before adding another 463 yards and five touchdowns in the National Championship against Clemson.
In an era of smokescreens, the Bengals seem to have little interest in hiding their intention of selecting Burrow first overall. After long-time starter Andy Dalton was benched last season, it was leaked the team had no intention of trading the first overall pick and Bengals staffers haven’t hidden their thoughts on Burrow either, saying he checks a lot of their boxes.
Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama
Orlovsky breaks down what makes Tua a ‘can’t miss prospect’
ESPN Football analyst Dan Orlovsky explains why he believes Tua Tagovailoa is ‘the most programmed quarterback in this draft’ and how is understanding of the game could make him a ‘can’t miss’ prospect in his position.
9
180-252 (71.6 %)
2,840
33
3
Tagovailoa was limited to just nine games last season with his aforementioned hip injury but he started all 15 games the year before as a sophomore. While he obviously didn’t reach his 2018 totals, Tagovailoa improved his accuracy (71.4 in 2019 from 69.0 a year earlier), yards per attempt (11.3 from 11.2), and QB rating (206.9 from 199.4) in his junior season last year.
While Burrow burst onto the scene last year, NFL fans have known about Tagovailoa for a long time. He’s been a star ever since replacing Jalen Hurts (a Heisman finalist and potential first-rounder) and leading Alabama to a National Championship at the end of his freshman campaign in January 2018. He was a Heisman finalist his sophomore season and was in the conversation last year as well before the season-ending injury.
Justin Herbert – Oregon
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Dan Orlovsky explains how Tua Tagovailoa’s skills are far superior to Justin Herbert’s ahead of the NFL draft.
14
286-428 (66.8 %)
3,471
32
6
After deciding to return for his senior season at Oregon, Herbert threw for 3,471 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions, improvements across the board from his junior year.
Time will tell if Herbert made a mistake returning to Oregon for his senior season (at least in terms of where he’s drafted) and the slot to keep an eye on is No. 6. Herbert was never going to be the first quarterback taken last year after Kyler Murray chose football over baseball and went first overall and the second QB taken was Daniel Jones sixth overall. Burrow and Tagovailoa are both projected to go in the Top 5 while the Los Angeles Chargers, who didn’t replace long-time starter Philip Rivers in free agency this off-season, pick at No. 6.
Jordan Love – Utah State
13
293-473
3,402
20
17
Love’s stats do not stack up well against the other top QB prospects. He finished the year with 3,402 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. But if you go back to his sophomore year, his stat line is more becoming of an NFL prospect. In 2018 Love had more passing yards (3,567) and a much better touchdown to interception ratio (32:6).
Love has the physical traits and arm talent scouts love but the Mahomes comparisons fall apart when you compare their collegiate production. Mahomes’ junior season at Texas Tech in 2016 yielded 1,500 more passing yards, twice as many touchdowns, and far fewer interceptions than Love’s 2019. The NFL is a copycat league and a lot of teams are looking for the next Mahomes. But copying other teams can lead to as many mistakes as successes.
Some other quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the early rounds of the draft:
Jacob Eason – Washington
Eason finished his junior season with 3,132 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions for the Huskies. He was a top high school recruit who transferred from Georgia after losing his starting job as a sophomore to Jake Fromm, but could be drafted higher than Fromm this weekend.
Jalen Hurts – Oklahoma
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Hurts had a terrific senior season at Oklahoma after transferring from Alabama, finishing with 3,851 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns, and 1,298 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He was named a Heisman finalist but it took a monster performance at the NFL Combine before he started shooting up draft boards.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
