BY JEFF YODER

APR. 29, 2022 | SUBSCRIBE | REFER | WEB VIEW

Happy Friday,

The NFL Draft is underway, and opening night saw trades galore. The pick-packaging palooza was one of the wildest games of “guess the pick” in draft history. Plenty of top talents are still on the board. Did your team get their guy? It’s the weekend edition hot off the press…

Letter Rip!

NFL DRAFT

Round 1 Rewind: Trades Run Wild

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Jaguars Select Georgia DE Travon Walker No. 1 Overall as Receiver Run & Receiver Trades Dominate Night 1 of NFL Draft

Well that was fun! Round 1 of the NFL Draft in Las Vegas had its fair share of big bets and potential busts. Eight teams held multiple first-round picks, and the wheeling and dealing of draft night was one of the most exciting in recent memory. Not only were there nine pick swaps in the 32 opening-night selections, but a historic lull of quarterbacks (1) and running backs (0). The Jaguars took Georgia DE Travon Walker with the top pick to kickstart the draft with consecutive defensive players in picks 1-5. Receivers were the headliners by night's end, and a pair of receiver trades lit up the middle of the first round. Here’s what happened on Night 1 of 3.

The Receiver Run: The Falcons took Drake London (USC) with the 8th pick that ignited a run of receivers at 10-11-12, including both Ohio State targets back-to-back. Six receivers were taken in the top-20 for the first time in the common draft era.

Quiet in the Backfield: The most important position in sports was a black hole in the 2022 draft class, and that was apparent with just one QB — Kenny Pickett (No. 20, Pittsburgh) — selected in the Round 1. It’s the first time since 1997 that no quarterbacks were taken in the first 19 picks. There were also no running backs selected in the first round.

The Georgia Defense: The national champions boasted five first-rounders from their title-winning defense, kicking things off with DE Travon Walker before DT Jordan Davis, LB Quay Walker, DT Devonte Wyatt and S Lewis Cine.

1st-Round Trades: Countless pick-swaps dominated the first round — too many to mention — but the two biggest trades that involved players featured star receivers. The Eagles traded pick No. 18 to the Titans for WR A.J. Brown. The Cardinals then acquired WR Marquise Brown from the Ravens in exchange for the 23rd pick.

Photo: David Becker / Getty Images

2022 NFL Draft (Round 1)

Top-10

1. Jaguars: DE Travon Walker (Georgia)

2. Lions: DE Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan)

3. Texans: CB Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU)

4. Jets: CB Sauce Gardner (Cincinnati)

5. Giants: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon)

6. Panthers: OT Ickey Ekwonu (NC State)

7. Giants: OT Evan Neal (Alabama)

8. Falcons: WR Drake London (USC)

9. Seahawks: OT Charles Cross (Mississippi State)

10. Jets: WR Garrett Wilson (Ohio State)

Picks 11-20

11. Saints: WR Chris Olave (Ohio State)

12. Lions: WR Jameson Williams (Alabama)

13. Eagles: DT Jordan Davis (Georgia)

14. Ravens: S Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame)

15. Texans: OL Kenyon Green (Texas A&M)

16. Commanders: WR Jahan Dotson (Penn State)

17. Chargers: OL Zion Johnson (Boston College)

18. Titans: WR Treylon Burks (Arkansas)

19. Saints: OT Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa)

20. Steelers: QB Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh)

Picks 21-32

21. Chiefs: CB Trent McDuffie (Washington)

22. Packers: LB Quay Walker (Georgia)

23. Bills: CB Kaiir Elam (Florida)

24. Cowboys: OT Tyler Smith (Tulsa)

25. Ravens: C Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa)

26. Jets: DE Jermaine Johnson II (Florida State)

27. Jaguars: LB Devin Lloyd (Utah)

28. Packers: DT Devonte Wyatt (Georgia)

29. Patriots: G Cole Strange (Chattanooga)

30. Chiefs: EDGE George Karlaftis (Purdue)

31. Bengals: S Daxton Hill (Michigan)

32. Vikings: S Lewis Cine (Georgia)

Rounds 2-3 continue tonight before Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.

Additional Storylines

ESPN: NFL Draft 2022: Pros & Cons for Every 1st-Round Pick

B/R: NFL Draft 2022: Grades for Every 1st-Round Pick

The Ringer: There’s Never Been a 1st Overall Pick Like Travon Walker

CBS Sports: Lions Trade Up 20 Spots to Select Alabama WR Jameson Williams

NBC Sports: Eagles Trade Pick 18 to Titans for WR A.J. Brown, Agree to 4-Year, $100 Million Contract

NBA

Perfect Paul 💯

Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Chris Paul Sets NBA Playoff Record With Perfect 14-for-14 Shooting Night (33 Points); Suns, 76ers & Mavericks Close Out Series in 6

Three up, three down. A trio of close-out games took the stage Thursday night in the NBA, and all three of the higher seeds are moving on. The 76ers buried the Raptors on the road to advance. The Mavericks held off the Jazz in a thrilling finish. And out west, Chris Paul’s historic night — a perfect 14-for-14 (33 points) — launched the Suns into Round 2. Only one first-round series still needs a winner…

NBA Playoff Highlights

Gm 6: Suns def. Pelicans (115-109)

PHX Wins Series (4-2)

Gm 6: 76ers def. Raptors (132-97)

PHI Wins Series (4-2)

Gm 6: Mavericks def. Jazz (98-96)

DAL Wins Series (4-2)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 6: Grizzlies at Timberwolves (9:00 pm ET)

MEM Leads Series (3-2)

Additional Storylines

SI: Chris Paul (14-for-14) Posts Best Shooting Night in NBA Playoff History

ESPN: Mavericks Escape Utah as Bojan Bogdanovic Misses Open 3 at the Buzzer

NY Post: Embiid & Harden Power 76ers to Game 6 Laugher Against Raptors

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏒 NHL: Panthers Clinch Presidents’ Trophy

A 4-0 shutout of the Senators gave the Panthers their 58th win of the season on Thursday night to clinch the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best record. Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp twice, and Florida (122 points) will get the edge over Colorado (119 points) for home ice throughout postseason.

⚾️ MLB: The Return of Ronald Acuna Jr.

Braves’ superstar Ronald Acuna Jr made his return to the diamond Thursday to a standing ovation in Atlanta after 292 days out with an ACL injury. He recorded a hit and stole two bases in the Braves’ 5-1 win over the Cubs.

⚽️ EPL: Ronaldo Keeps Man-U Hopes Alive

With Manchester United scrapping their way for a top-4 spot in the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal saved a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Thursday to keep pace. The Red Devils (55 points) are currently in 6th place and just five points behind 4th with five matches to play.

⛳️ PGA: 6-Way Tie After Round 1 in Mexico

The PGA Tour tees off south of the border this weekend with the Mexico Open, and there’s a six-way tie atop the leaderboard after Round 1 on Thursday. Jonathan Byrd, Jon Rahm, Brendan Todd, Trey Mullinax, Bryson Nimmer and Kurt Kitiyama are all 7-under.

THE STORYLINES

🏛️ The College Athletics Overhaul

College power-brokers are poised to turn the NCAA upside down. The Transformation Committee is considering wholesale changes that would make the NCAA’s post–Mark Emmert era a completely different experience. (Sports Illustrated)

⚾️ MLB Power Rankings

While the National League continues to dominate the top of our Power Rankings, three weeks into the MLB season the American League is starting to make a splash as well. Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball. (ESPN)

🏈 NFL Draft Bust Candidates

It's easy to pick which players are going to be the safest picks in any NFL Draft class. As much as everyone likes to talk about the NFL Draft in certainties, it is largely a crapshoot. Busts exist, and they can come from anywhere. (Sporting News)

📰 THE HEADLINES

Bucks Khris Middleton to Miss Round 2 With MCL Injury (CBS Sports)
Braves Activate Ronald Acuna Jr. After 292 Days With Knee Injury (Bleacher Report)
Giants Decline 5th-Year Option on QB Daniel Jones (NBC Sports)
Tiger Woods Spotted Practicing at Southern Hills Ahead of PGA Championship (USA Today)
Jazz Assistant Coach Keyon Dooling Arrested for Fraud (ESPN)
ESPN Anchor Sage Steele Sues Network Over Free Speech Claims (SI)
Grayson Murray and Kevin Na Get Heated at Driving Range Before Mexico Open (Yahoo! Sports)

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

It’s draft weekend! The NFL’s big show continues tonight and tomorrow in Las Vegas. The NBA Playoffs roll on, and the NHL ties a bow on the regular season. We’ll run it back on Monday.

NFL Draft

Rounds 2-3 (Fri. 7:00 pm)

Rounds 4-7 (Sat. Noon)

NBA Playoffs

Gm 6: Grizzlies at Timberwolves (Fri. 9:00 pm)

Gm 1: Bucks at Celtics (Sun. 1:00 pm)

Gm 7: Timberwolves at Grizzlies (Sun. 3:30 pm)*

*If Necessary

NHL

Last Day of Regular Season (Friday)

MLB

Full Weekend Schedule

Soccer

Full MLS Schedule

Full Premier League Schedule

PGA Tour

Mexico Open (All Weekend)

Racing

NASCAR: Dover Motor Speedway (Sun. 3:00 pm)

IndyCar: Grand Prix of Alabama (Sun. 1:00 pm)

*All Times Eastern

⚠️ REFER FRIENDS

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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