The two-sport star boasts all the credentials to be Arizona’s next starter after the team finished last season with a league-worst 3-13 record and missed the playoffs for the third straight year. Murray led Oklahoma to a 12-2 record as he threw for 4,361 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2018. He also ran for 1,001 yards and capped off his final collegiate season by winning the Heisman Trophy....
The combined overnight TV rating for Round 1 coverage across ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports and NFL Network Thursday night was 8.4, just behind the combined 8.7 for the first round of the 2014 draft, when Jadeveon Clowney went No. 1 to the Texans and “Johnny Football” plummeted to the Browns at No. 22. But it’s significantly higher than the 6.7, 6.3 and 6.5 combined ratings on ESPN/NFL Network the past three years, according to Austin Karp of SportsBusiness Daily....
A handful of trades involving 2020 NFL Draft picks has shaken up the order for all seven rounds, leaving teams like the Dolphins an embarrassment of riches with 14 selections (including six in the first three rounds) and teams like the Saints with only five. NFL MOCK DRAFT 2020:Patriots, Raiders, Cowboys go defense; Bucs, Chargers go QB Below is the complete NFL Draft order for 2020 now that compensatory picks have been awarded, plus a list of picks for all 32 teams....
That conversation will undoubtedly start with Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence — who is favored to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. Lawrence will look to play in a third straight College Football Playoff championship game next season. He will have company, however. Ohio State’s Justin Fields was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2019 and has the numbers to prove it. Of course, Alabama will again be well-represented in the 2021 NFL Draft....
The NFL Draft trade value chart technically was Johnson’s idea, as he and team owner Jerry Jones wanted to assign numerical values to draft picks in order to make more clear the viability of trades. But they enlisted Mike McCoy, then a Cowboys minority owner, to create the chart. MORE: The 8 most likely trade scenarios for the 2020 draft “Jerry and Jimmy both liked to trade from Day 1,” McCoy told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2007....
Three of the four conference championship teams returned at least four starting offensive linemen last year — “returning starters” defined by those who took at least 50 percent of their current team’s offensive snaps or started Week 1 the previous season. Only 14 of 32 teams hit this mark in 2016, and continuity does often portend well for an NFL offense, particularly on the ground. Pittsburgh ran back all five, and Green Bay made a couple interior switches, the latter now becoming a familiar theme....
Schefter tweeted Saturday that barring a “major upset” the Cowboys will have to release the four-time Pro Bowler. MORE: Washington will pay on field, in front office for smear of Scot McCloughan Romo, who is under contract in Dallas through 2019, is likely not in the Cowboys’ future plans with Dak Prescott solidified as the team’s starting quarterback. By releasing Romo, the Cowboys would save $5.1 million against the cap....
Ben Roethlisberger and DeAngelo Williams are battling foot injuries, leaving their availability for Sunday against the Browns in question. Meanwhile, Calvin Johnson and Eddie Lacy are preparing to bounce back from their respective injuries in time for the matchup between the Lions against Packers. MORE: Week 10 NFL betting lines, picks | Player standing outside Browns facility for tryout meets with GM Here are the five most impactful injuries heading into Week 10:...
With the exception of the matchup between Chicago and Oakland earlier this month, the clash between the two AFC South rivals is arguably the one that carries the biggest postseason implications of those played in the British capital this year. It could also be the most even of the quartet, as the Texans arrive into the weekend with a 5-3 record, while the Jaguars are one game behind the division standings at 4-4....
Sporting News has learned that the league may return next season by expanding its inventory of international games. MORE: Trump can’t hurt NFL’s relationship with Mexico The NFL is still in the process of evaluating the situation, a source said. Last month, the league returned to Mexico City for the first time since 2005, when Oakland played Houston. The game was seen as a success both logistically and financially by the NFL with an easy sellout of 75,000-seat Azteca Stadium....
The college football season has shaken up the stock of propsects across the board, because of both who’s playing and who’s not. There’s also a better indication of what teams will be locked into high selections for next April. Here’s how we see the picks from 1-32 playing out now. The top 18 picks are based on the current draft order, according to Tankathon. The bottom 14 is based on SN’s projected finish of the current playoff teams through Super Bowl 55....
More than half of the league already will be thinking about how to improve for next season, from free agency in March through what they do selecting players from April 28 through April 30. Some of those best draft prospects also will be on display during Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship between SEC powers Alabama and Georgia. Here’s Sporting News’ latest projections for the first round from No....
But another player could be on the move before Week 1 gets underway if negotiations go smoothly over the next week. Three things that matter Ezekiel Elliott training with Marshall Faulk during holdout The Cowboys star is staying in shape by working out with the Hall of Fame running back in Mexico, and while Faulk acknowledged Elliott is in prime shape, he admitted training isn’t the same as seeing in-game action....
It has, to quote NFL vice president Troy Vincent, “failed miserably.” It has failed because I never use it, and because I never endeavored to become trained in using it properly, and because the one or two times I experimented ended in disaster. Clearly, though, the fault is not mine. This is how it went with the NFL’s effort during the 2019 season to make pass interference one of the violations of its game rules that is subject to instant-replay review....
For the season, our pick ’em value picks are up to 20-5. The average public picker went 12-13 on those same games. Results like that are a big reason why our subscribers this year have reported winning a weekly pick ’em contest prize at a rate four times higher than you would expect for the average pool participant. Meanwhile, in survivor pools, our Week 5 advice was to save Buffalo because of how valuable they are and also avoid Green Bay and Jacksonville....
Week 18 was a bit tricky given so many teams were wishy-washy about resting or not resting players depending on their playoff or non-playoff status. With “Super Wild Card Weekend” here, however, there’s no doubt all 12 teams in action in six games over three days will be playing to win. Here’s breaking down the entire wild-card round from Saturday through Monday. navigating through some small and big spreads alike:...
There are two matchups between winless teams, including a “Thursday Night Football” gem between the Broncos and Jets. The more surprising matchup of winless teams is Vikings-Texans on Sunday, a game that will put the losing coach on the hot seat. There are also great matchups. Tennessee and Pittsburgh meet in a battle of 3-0 teams in the AFC in the 1 p.m. slot, and that comes before New England travels to Kansas City....
Houston dropped to 1-3 last week after a blowout loss to the Falcons, and is low on chances to make something of its season. The Texans have yet to do much well through four games. J.J. Watt is the anchor of their defense, but is being asked to carry that unit on his own. Meanwhile, Ryan Mallett doesn’t look like the team’s answer at quarterback. MORE: Full Week 5 predictions | Expert picks | Betting lines, odds, trends...
So far, we have picked 264 games this season with rather pleasing results. That only increases the pressure to deliver in the three biggest matchups of the NFL’s 100th season. This week, there are clear home favorites playing on Sunday afternoon and evening. Without further ado, here’s our latest fearless forecast for upcoming NFL results. All odds are courtesy of SportsInsider.com. MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting trends from Sports Insider...
The Bills (5-3), who went into Week 9 as the No. 2 seed in the AFC, lost a low-scoring shocker to the Jaguars, 9-6, despite being double-digit point favorites in Jacksonville on Sunday. The Raiders (5-3), who went in as AFC West leaders, fell in their post-bye trap game against the Giants, 23-16. The Bengals (5-4), who after Week 7’s big win at Baltimore were the No. 1 seed in first place in the North, were handed their second consecutive defeat at home vs....
