#round-draft-pick

#round-draft-pick

The New England Patriots selected 12 players in the 2023 NFL Draft, and two of them come with some prior connection to the organization.Marte Mapu and Atonio Mafi both have family ties to the club through their uncle and cousin, respectively.Mapu, who was brought aboard as a third-round draft pick, is the nephew of the late Junior Seau.

The Minnesota Vikings addressed an area of need after the NFL Draft and signed Army's Andre Carter II to a huge contract.The Minnesota Vikings, after all of the hype and buzz, didn't use a first-round draft pick on a quarterback, instead taking USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.But, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's second draft class is finalized, headlined by Addison, USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon and LSU safety Jay Ward.

After drafting seven new players last weekend, the Washington Commanders continued building their 2023 roster by hitting the undrafted free-agent market.To date, they have signed 12 players to contracts, who'll look to firmly establish themselves and potentially earn roster spots as rookies.There are people who argue that going the UDFA route can actually be better for a player than being a seventh-round draft pick.

The Miami Dolphins selected Stanford wide receiver/tight end Elijah Higgins on Saturday with their sixth-round draft pick and Michigan offensive tackle Ryan Hayes with their seventh-round pick.Here's what you need to know about Higgins, who was born in Florida and has extended family in the Tampa area, and Hayes: ELIJAH HIGGINS Pos./round: Receiver, tight end/Sixth (No. 197) School: Stanford Year: Senior Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 235 Hometown: Austin, Tx.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

There were 19 defensive backs selected ahead of Clark Phillips III before he was chosen in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons with the 113th pick Saturday during the third day of the NFL draft.Talk about motivation."If I know Clark, it's going to be embedded in his brain like Tom Brady," Frank Mazzotta, Phillips' coach at La Habra High, said.

Kanas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called his newest wide receiver, second-round draft pick out of SMU, Rashee Rice.The Kansas City Chiefs have had some changeover at the wide receiver position recently.Last year, they traded away Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.This offseason, after winning Super Bowl 57, watched JuJu Smith-Schuster sign a three-year contract with the New England Patriots and Mecole Hardman joined the New York Jets on a one-year contract.

Red Sox COMMENTARYTerry Francona's Guardians had only two stars in 2022 but thrived because of contributions from young players the Red Sox can only dream of.I hope you'll excuse my Terry Francona on the brain today." Tito: The Terry Francona Story " has gotten a couple extra watches at this address, his Guardians headed to Fenway Park this weekend for their annual visit.

Drafting a player takes plenty of work and time, an effort that oftentimes goes largely unnoticed.While college all-star games, Scouting Combine, and Pro Days are marquee events in the offseason, teams already need to have a good feel for a player at that point.In order to do that, a club's local and national scouting network is key.

Luis Robert Jr. struck out swinging against Yusei Kikuchi in the sixth inning Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.It began a stretch to forget for the Chicago White Sox in which 10 of the final 11 batters struck out in the 8-0 loss at the Rogers Centre.The only batter who didn't strike out during that period, Elvis Andrus, grounded out to second in the eighth inning.

Luis Robert Jr. struck out swinging against Yusei Kikuchi in the sixth inning Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.It began a stretch to forget for the Chicago White Sox in which 10 of the final 11 batters struck out in the 8-0 loss at the Rogers Centre.The only batter who didn't strike out during that period, Elvis Andrus, grounded out to second in the eighth inning.

There was a lot of pressure on the Patriots to nail their first-round pick this year, and it appears they may have walked away with the steal of the night.Because they had a prime position at pick 14, they had numerous prospects to choose from compared to years past.Most assumed they would go with one of their top three neediest positions; cornerback, offensive tackle, or wide receiver, and all the stars were aligned as they were initially put on the clock.