Plum’s Pat McAfee steals the show at the NFL Draft in Nashville
Before Friday night, Bobby Okereke was known merely as a guy who had a sack against Pitt in the Sun Bowl while building a reputation as one of the top inside linebackers available in the NFL Draft. Then, former Plum, West Virginia and Indiananpolis Colts punter Pat McAfee showed up...
Former Pitt star Qadree Ollison stands out among Falcons RBsVideo
Qadree Ollison isn’t entering an especially crowded running back situation in Atlanta. In fact, physically, the former Pitt running back will stand out in the crowd at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds because the other backs are listed at 5-8 (Devonta Freeman and Marcus Green) and 5-9 (Ito Smith). No question, the...
NFL Draft draws record numbers in Nashville and on TV
The NFL Draft drew record numbers both on site and on television. The league said Monday that more than 600,000 attended over the three days in Nashville, easily eclipsing the 250,000 that came to watch two years ago in Philadelphia. Nielsen reports that the draft on ESPN, ABC and NFL...
Ex-Penn State RBs Miles Sanders, Saquon Barkley friendly rivals again
Miles Sanders patiently waited his turn behind Saquon Barkley for two years instead of transferring out of Penn State to a football program that could have used his considerable skills right away. That’s just the kind of player and person Sanders is. “Coming out of high school, I was a...
With stars in place, Cleveland Browns have rare stress-free draft
BEREA, Ohio — Freddie Kitchens emerged from the Browns’ draft room looking like a wide-eyed rookie. Things had been moving quickly for Cleveland’s first-year coach, who seemed a little dazed after spending three whirlwind days observing general manager John Dorsey and his staff relentlessly work the phones with other NFL...
Shooting kills college football player, injures Giants draft pick
TOPEKA, Kan. — Washburn University’s joy over one of its own going to the pros quickly shifted to grief this weekend after a shooting killed a current Washburn football player and wounded the former member of the team who was drafted by the New York Giants hours earlier. Police in...
Trump praises No. 2 pick Nick Bosa, not top pick Kyler Murray
The NFL Draft wasn’t far from President Trump’s mind Saturday night as he addressed a crowd in Green Bay, Wis., and his decision to laud the second overall pick, a white player who has expressed support for Trump, but not mention the No. 1 pick, who is black, has sparked...
Chase Winovich might be getting a haircut when joining the Patriots
Chase Winovich, Jefferson Hills native, is headed to the New England Patriots but he might be getting a haircut when he gets there. Winovich, a Thomas Jefferson graduate who was an outside linebacker at Michigan, was drafted by the Super Bowl champion Patriots in the third round (No. 77 overall)...
Ravens think Penn State’s Trace McSorley ‘could have a big role’
Penn State’s Trace McSorley sensed a quick kinship with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. They met two years ago at the Maxwell Awards, will be working together soon and have been similarly adamant about playing quarterback after college. The Ravens on Saturday drafted McSorley in the sixth round, specifically calling...
Final day of NFL Draft littered with potential backup QBs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Let’s talk quarterbacks. As in potential backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and maybe starters down the road. Eleven quarterbacks were chosen in the NFL Draft. The trio that went in the opening round — No. 1 overall Kyler Murray to Arizona, No. 16 Daniel Jones to the...
Ex-NFL QB Gus Frerotte, TribLive Podcast Network debut weekly program Monday
For 15 NFL seasons in eight major media markets, Gus Frerotte endured incessant questions from waves of reporters. Now, it’s his turn to fire back. In his new venture, he not only will ask the tough questions, he plans to inform and educate. Frerotte, who grew up in Ford City...
NFL Draft wreaks havoc on bachelorette parties in Nashville
Apparently it isn’t a good idea to host a bachelorette party at the same time and place as the NFL Draft. Who knew that Nashville is the destination spot for bachelorette parties in the country? What a lot of women who planned on making this a weekend to remember are...
Cowboys draft Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern in the third round
Guard Connor McGovern was the second Penn State player drafted Friday night when he went to the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (No. 91 overall). McGovern, 6-foot-5, 308 pounds, moved between guard and center at Penn State, starting nine games as a freshmen at right guard and all 13...
Thomas Jefferson grad Chase Winovich goes to Patriots in 3rd roundVideo
Thomas Jefferson graduate Chase Winovich, a third-team All-American and first-team Big Ten outside linebacker from Michigan, was drafted by the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the third round (No. 78 overall) on Friday night. The 6-foot-3, 256-pound Winovich started only one full season at Michigan, but was a...
Passing game, passing ‘D’ dominate Rounds 2-3 of NFL DraftVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — So you want proof the NFL is an aerial circus? Try the second round of the draft. And some of the third. Of Friday night’s first 32 picks, 11 were defensive backs charged with holding down pass catchers, of which seven were chosen. Plus another seven offensive...
Chiefs suspend Tyreek Hill after audio discussing child abuse
OLATHE, Kan. — The Kansas City Chiefs effectively suspended Tyreek Hill from all team-related activities Thursday night while they investigate an audio recording that aired on a local TV station in which the star wide receiver’s fiancee accused him of abusing their 3-year-old son. The recording surfaced one day after...
Cardinals take Kyler Murray, their 2nd consecutive 1st-round pick on QBVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at the top, two more QBs along the way — and a whole lot of guys who like nothing better than putting passers on the ground. That was the look for the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Arizona defied...
Coverage will offer different perspectives on NFL Draft
George Grande had no idea what ESPN was about to create when he anchored the first telecast of the NFL Draft in 1980. “We didn’t know who or how many people would be watching,” Grande said. “For us, it gave us a link to the NFL. It helped our coverage...
Mike Mayock takes center stage for 1st draft as Raiders GM
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Mike Mayock is used to being under the spotlight on NFL Draft weekend. As the lead analyst at NFL Network, Mayock spent so many hours on the air each draft for more than a decade analyzing prospects and critiquing picks made by the 32 teams that he...
Ravens sign Justin Tucker, Marshal Yanda to extensions
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With an eye toward the future, Baltimore Ravens first-year general manager Eric DeCosta provided contract extensions to kicker Justin Tucker and guard Marshal Yanda. Tucker signed a four-year extension through 2023, and Yanda added a year to a contract set to expire after the upcoming season....
DA declines to charge Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill in domestic violence case
OLATHE, Kan. — A county prosecutor declined to charge Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill with a crime Wednesday in a domestic incident that involved his fiancee and their 3-year-old child. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe acknowledged “we believe a crime has occurred, however, the evidence in this...
Iowa TE tandem likely to go in 1st round of NFL DraftVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Talk about a culture change. Not long ago, drafting a tight end in the first round was taboo for NFL teams. On Thursday night, two might go high, and they come from the same school. T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant of Iowa are projected to go early,...
Keep your eye on locals in NFL Draft, but not in 1st round
Since the turn of the century, a player from either Penn State, West Virginia or Pitt has been chosen in the first round of all but three NFL drafts. It started in 2000 with defensive end Courtney Brown and linebacker LaVar Arrington of Penn State and West Virginia tight end...
Le’Veon Bell a no-show at Jets’ voluntary workout
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets hit the field together for the first time this offseason — without their star running back. Le’Veon Bell was not among the players present Tuesday for the start of the team’s voluntary three-day minicamp. Linebacker Darron Lee, whose role with the team...
Was this the greatest Top 5 class in NFL Draft history?
Is the 1989 NFL Draft class the best of all time? It might be hard to argue with the first five picks. Four went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The fifth might be the biggest draft bust in NFL history....
